Spotting Neuromuscular Disease Red Flags

Many older adults may dismiss dropping objects, struggling with stairs, or tiring on short walks as a matter of just getting older, but it can be an early sign of a serious group of disorders known as late-onset neuromuscular diseases (LONDs). The American Neuromuscular Foundation’s Why Behind Your Weakness campaign seeks to raise awareness of LONDs and the shared symptom patterns that too often go unrecognized. Myasthenia Gravis Association Executive Director Allison Foss and Director of the Neuromuscular Center at Cleveland Clinic John Morren discuss the everyday impact of conditions like myasthenia gravis, ALS, CIDP, and limb-girdle muscular dystrophies; why unexplained, progressive weakness deserves a closer look; and how a new clinical decision support tool can help primary care providers distinguish age-related changes from true neuromuscular red flags.