A child was treated for a rare, potentially deadly genetic disorder while still in the womb — and now, she has survived past the age of 2 with no signs of the condition.
This marks the first time that this condition, called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), has ever been tackled before birth, according to a new report published Wednesday (Feb. 19) in The New England Journal of Medicine. The child in this case specifically had SMA type 1, the most common form of the disorder; it has a very poor prognosis, typically leading to death before a child's second birthday.
