Difficulty In Swallowing and Eating
Difficulty in swallowing or eating the medically known food as dysphagia occurs in the SMA patients because a lower motor neuron in the brain stem influences the tongue’s movement. There is a reduction in efficiency and movement of the tongue. SMA influences the muscle force of the sub-mental group of muscles located on the tongue, causing difficulty eating. The patient with spinal muscular atrophy might experience problems in lifting their food towards their mouth because of the muscular weakness. The swallowing problems are also very common in patients with spinal muscular atrophy. The swallowing and eating disorders occur in almost 36% of the individuals suffering from some type of spinal muscular atrophy.