One of a kind Neuromuscular clinic opens

A unique clinic for degenerative neuromuscular diseases (NMD) in children opened recently at Schneider Children's Medical Center and is headed by Dr. Huda Mussaffi, Director of the Cystic Fibrosis Unit in the Pulmonology Institute. The new clinic will work in cooperation with Dr. Sharon Aharoni, coordinator of the Neuromuscular Clinic in the Neurology Institute and is the result of collaboration with two charitable organizations, SMA Families Israel, and Meshi, the Hebrew acronym for NMD in Israel.

As part of the Pulmonology Institute at Schneider headed by Prof. Hannah Blau, the NMD clinic will provide all-encompassing care for children suffering from degenerative muscular diseases such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. The multidisciplinary staff will include specialists in pulmonology, neurology, orthopedics, cardiology, genetics, intensive care, anesthesiology and gastroenterology, as well as nurses and paramedical professionals including physical therapy, nutrition, social work and more. The clinic will centralize all therapies required by children suffering from NMD.

Neuromuscular diseases are hereditary and appear at different intervals and degrees of severity. They are incurable. In some of these diseases, children are unable to walk at all and suffer from severe muscle weakness including the respiratory muscles. They can suffer from chronic lung infections and respiratory failure, although the life expectancy for children has been raised over the years due to intensive and effective preventive treatment. Alongside extended survival rates, other complications have appeared such as disorders of bone density, nutrition, the heart, orthopedics, psycho-social issues and more. Consequently, the establishment of a specialized and multidisciplinary clinic became a necessity in order to provide comprehensive medical and para-medical care for NMD children encompassing all specialized and relevant pediatric disciplines.

Neuromuscular Clinic, Schneider Hospital, 14 Kaplan Street, Petach Tikva. Tel: 03 925 3654