Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40340786›Full record

ArticleOrphanet journal of rare diseases2025

The most bothersome symptoms in neuromuscular diseases: the ERN EURO NMD Survey.

Michelangelo Mancuso, Alessandro Colitta, Manuela Lavorato, Peter Van den Bergh, Janbernd Kirschner, Cornelia Kornblum, Lorenzo Maggi, Francois Lamy, Hanns Lochmüller, Marianne Nordstrøm and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Orphanet journal of rare diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Michelangelo MancusoDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Neurological Institute, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. michelangelo.mancuso@unipi.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2738-8562
Alessandro ColittaDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Neurological Institute, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Manuela LavoratoNeurological Institute, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy.
Peter Van den BerghNeuromuscular Reference Centre, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Saint- Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
Janbernd KirschnerDepartment of Neuropediatrics and Muscle Disorders, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Cornelia KornblumDepartment of Neuromuscular Disorders, Center for Neurology, University Hospital, Bonn, Germany.
Lorenzo MaggiNeuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
Francois LamyAssociation Française Contre Les Myopathies, AFM-Téléthon, Evry, France.
Hanns LochmüllerDepartment of Neuropediatrics and Muscle Disorders, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Marianne NordstrømUnit for Inborn and Hereditary Neuromuscular disorders, Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Edoardo MalfattiReference Center for Neuromuscular Disorders, APHP Henri Mondor Hospital, University Paris Est, Inserm, U955, IMRB, Créteil, F-94010, France.
Alessandra FerliniUnit of Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Science, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Davide PareysonRare Neurological Diseases Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
Vincenzo SilaniDepartment of Neuroscience and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7698-3854
Kleopas A KleopaDepartment of Neuroscience and Center for Neuromuscular Disorders, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Marianne de VisserDepartment of Neurology, location AMC, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Neuroscience Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Antonio AtalaiaCenter of Research in Myology Inserm UMRS UMRS 974, APHP G.H. Pitie-Salpetriere, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
Teresinha EvangelistaMuscle Pathology Unit, Institute of Myologie and Neuropathology department Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, APHP-Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNeuromuscular diseases (NMDs) comprise a range of genetic and acquired rare disorders that affect motor neurons, peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junctions and skeletal muscles, leading to significant impairments such as muscle weakness and fatigue resulting in functional limitations. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and severity of disease-related symptoms in adult patients with NMDs registered in the European Reference Network (ERN) EURO-NMD. A cross-sectional electronic survey was conducted with 1,253 participants who reported the severity of 28 symptoms, which were scored using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA).

resultsThe results identified muscle fatigue, weakness and impaired physical function/activity as the most severe and prevalent symptoms in all NMD groups, followed by coordination and/or balance problems, muscle stiffness, mental fatigue, and pain. Notably, the analysis highlighted differences in symptom severity between disease subtypes and underlined the need for standardised patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to address the broad heterogeneity of NMDs.

conclusionsThe findings stress the critical importance of capturing patient perspectives to guide clinical care, research priorities and therapeutic development. This work argues for the development of uniform PROMs to better assess disease impact, natural history and treatment efficacy, contributing to improved patient-centred care across diverse NMD populations.

Indexed as

Neuromuscular DiseasesAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesEuropeFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMuscle WeaknessSurveys and QuestionnairesNeuromuscular diseasesPROMsSymptoms

Identifiers

PMID40340786
PMCPMC12063438

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.