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Neuromuscular diseases are conditions in which the neuromuscular system — the nerve cells and muscles that work together to move the body - is compromised. Symptoms can vary from mild to critical, are often progressive, and include pain, weakness, numbness, cramping, paralysis, and spasticity. Each year, neuromuscular disorders affect nearly 1.5 million Americans.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, often called "Lou Gehrig's disease," is one of the more common neuromuscular disorders. More than 5,600 people are diagnosed with ALS in the U.S. each year. ALS involves a breakdown of motor neurons that work to control voluntary muscle movements. While there is no cure for the disease, UT Southwestern Medical Center physicians provide the latest therapies and treatments that can help slow the disease's progress and manage its symptoms.
Approximately 37,000 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, which causes severe muscle weakness. This autoimmune neuromuscular disease affects voluntary muscle movement, when communication between nerve impulses and muscles is interrupted. Treatments for this disorder include surgical options and therapies to improve muscle weakness. Researchers at UT Southwestern have published new findings about the underlying genetic causes of myasthenia gravis, which gives physicians another avenue to explore for the treatment of this condition.
Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a group of more than 30 disorders that cause progressive and degenerative weakness of voluntary muscles. While no treatment for reversing the effects of these disorders exists, several treatments and therapies for improving a patient's outlook can be recommended and directed by UT Southwestern physicians.
In addition to ALS, myasthenia gravis, and muscular dystrophies, UT Southwestern physicians treat the following conditions:
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- Peripheral neuropathies
- Inflammatory myopathies
- Motor neuron diseases
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