Those with congenital muscular dystrophy type 1A (MDC1A) typically have neonatal profound hypotonia, poor spontaneous movements, and respiratory failure [Jones et al 2001]. Failure to thrive, gastroesophageal reflux, aspiration, and recurrent chest infections necessitating frequent hospitalizations are common. As disease progresses, facial muscle weakness, temporomandibular joint contractures, and macroglossia may further impair feeding and can affect speech.
Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Type 1A (MDC1A)
Respiratory involvement is caused by a progressively restrictive chest wall that first involves weakness of the intercostal and accessory muscles. Early in childhood, the thorax becomes stiff and chest wall compliance decreases, further contributing to alveolar hypoventilation, atelectasis, and mucous plugs with bronchial obstruction. These changes manifest as low lung volumes. Poor secretion clearance resulting from weak cough leads to recurrent chest infection. Swallowing difficulties and gastroesophageal reflux may increase the risk of aspiration. Chest infections may cause atelectasis, which along with limited pulmonary reserve, increases the risk of acute respiratory failure in the setting of infection.
The need for ventilatory support is most likely to occur during two time periods [Geranmayeh et al 2010]:
Between birth and age five years in the most severely affected children mainly due to respiratory muscle weakness, hypotonia, and fatigue. Depending on age, total hours of ventilatory support required, frequency of hospitalizations, and institutional practice patterns, ventilatory support may be noninvasive or mechanical with tracheostomy. Respiratory issues in these infants and young children often stabilize in the first years, likely as a result of improved muscle tone.
Between ages ten and 15 years due to progressive restrictive lung disease leading to respiratory insufficiency [
Wallgren-Pettersson et al 2004]. Most children in this age group with the early-onset form do not have typical signs/symptoms of hypercapnia (i.e., headaches, attention difficulties, and drowsiness) but rather the more subtle findings including recurrent respiratory infections, failure to thrive, poor cough, and fatigue with feeding.
Feeding difficulties, consistent with poor weight gain, failure to thrive, and precipitous drop in weight with infections and hospitalizations are common. Philpot et al [1999a] reported weight below the third centile and feeding difficulties including swallowing abnormalities, difficulty chewing, and prolonged feeding time. In a study of 46 individuals with LAMA2-MD, 17 required enteral feeding, usually within the first year [Geranmayeh et al 2010]. Of note, children with early-onset LAMA2-MD do not attain normal weight (see Management, Treatment of Manifestations).
Joint contractures that are present in the first year of life progress slowly even in children receiving intensive daily physical therapy. Contractures tend to occur early in the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees and later in the temporomandibular joints, distal joints, and cervical spine. Contractures often result in significant morbidity and interfere with activities of daily living.
Hyperlaxity of the distal phalanges of the fingers is observed in a number of affected children.
Motor developmental milestones are delayed and often arrested. Most affected children do not acquire independent walking; Geranmayeh et al [2010] reported that only 15% of individuals acquired independent ambulation. A smaller proportion gained the ability to walk with assistance but subsequently lost the ability.
Axial weakness
Neck weakness, especially of the flexor muscles, impairs moving the head from the back to neutral position or performing neck flexion and lifting head from the lying position [
Oliveira et al 2018]. This weakness may progress to a severe cervical lordosis in late adolescence, affecting the capacity to swallow and increasing the risk of food aspiration.
Scoliosis is aggravated by thoracic and lumbar lordosis and frequently observed from the first decade of life [
Bentley et al 2001]. It is often slowly progressive and may contribute to respiratory insufficiency due to thoracic restriction and airway compression.
Facial muscle weakness and macroglossia may become significant in toddlers and children, resulting in typical elongated myopathic facies, with an open mouth and tongue protrusion.
Limitation of eye movements (ophthalmoparesis) may be evident as early as age two years.
Central nervous system. Cognitive abilities are normal in the majority of affected individuals and do not correlate with brain MRI abnormalities [Messina et al 2010]; however, in a small proportion of individuals, intellectual disability and epilepsy were associated with bilateral occipital pachygyria [Jones et al 2001] or dysplastic cortical changes affecting predominantly the occipital and temporal regions [Sunada et al 1995, Pini et al 1996, Philpot et al 1999b, Leite et al 2005, Geranmayeh et al 2010, Natera-de Benito et al 2020].
Cognitive impairment, reported in fewer than 7% of individuals [Jones et al 2001, Geranmayeh et al 2010], ranged from mild intellectual disability to communication difficulties.
Epilepsy occurs in 8%-35% of affected individuals. Epilepsy is more prevalent in persons with more extensive cortical malformation. Seizures are mainly focal and visual aura; autonomic signs are common. Atypical absence, atonic, motor, and focal seizures with clonic bilateralization can also occur. In some individuals epilepsy is controlled with mono- or polytherapy, whereas in others epilepsy can be refractory, leading to a progressive deterioration of cognition [Vigliano et al 2009, Geranmayeh et al 2010, Natera-de Benito et al 2020].
A progressive sensorimotor neuropathy with signs of dysmyelinization may be detected in childhood [Di Muzio et al 2003]. These abnormalities are usually mild or clinically not significant. In contrast, needle EMG, even when performed early in infancy, shows myopathic signs in a majority of individuals [Quijano-Roy et al 2004].
Cardiac involvement has been described in persons with late-onset LAMA2-MD. There are only a few reports of cardiac involvement in individuals with MDC1A [Abdel Aleem et al 2020]; however, as improved medical care prolongs life expectancy, cardiac involvement may become more prevalent, and thus a management concern [Nelson et al 2015].
Secondary pulmonary hypertension may be observed as a complication of respiratory insufficiency [Geranmayeh et al 2010].
Late-Onset LAMA2 Muscular Dystrophy
The onset of this milder phenotype ranges from early childhood to adulthood. Although children may have delayed motor milestones, they acquire independent ambulation. Proximal muscle weakness is slowly progressive in a pattern similar to that of other limb-girdle muscular dystrophies. Long-term consequences include wheelchair dependence, scoliosis, and respiratory problems [Oliveira et al 2018].
Weakness is also associated with marked contractures (mainly in the elbows and Achilles tendon) [Harris et al 2017, Saredi et al 2019] and heart involvement that can be clinically significant (particularly in individuals with phenotypes resembling Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy or collagen VI diseases); however, subclinical abnormal echocardiograms and/or EKG-Holter findings are more common [Nelson et al 2015, Harris et al 2017].
Some individuals have rigid spine syndrome and/or muscle pseudohypertrophy [Nelson et al 2015].
Peripheral nerve demyelination may be detected with nerve conduction studies; however, most commonly there are no significant clinical consequences [Chan et al 2014].
Severe epilepsy and intellectual disability are described in some individuals.