It is possible for a normal adult to get SMA. usually adult-onset SMA develops in adulthood.
SMA stands for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. SMA is an autosomal recessive disease, which means that one of the parents of the patient must carry the disease-causing genes, and when a child acquires these disease-causing genes from his or her parents, that child may develop SMA.
The main lesions of SMA are in the motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord, where the neurons degenerate, leading to muscle weakness and muscle atrophy.
It is generally categorized into four types. Type I is the infantile type, which usually develops in children within six months. Type II is the toddler type, which develops within six to 18 months. Type III is the juvenile type, which develops after 18 months of age. Type IV is the adult type, which usually develops in adulthood and results in muscle atrophy throughout the body.
Therefore, it is possible for a normal adult to get SMA and need to go to the neurology department of the hospital for diagnosis and treatment.