The University Hospital Zurich and the Children's Hospital Zurich have pooled their expertise to guarantee continuous, comprehensive diagnosis, treatment and support for children and adults with muscle and nerve disorders.
We attach great importance to the best diagnostics and treatment, but also to empathetic support for patients and their relatives. Intensive, interdisciplinary cooperation means that the best possible treatment can always be offered.
Neuromuscular diseases can affect people at any age. They are often chronic and can lead to physical limitations and shortened life expectancy. In addition to the muscles themselves (myopathy), the nerves supplying the muscle (motor neuron disease and other neuropathies) or the signal transmission from the nerve to the muscle (myasthenia) can also be affected. Patients with neuromuscular diseases often suffer from rapid fatigue, paralysis and muscle atrophy, sometimes also from pain or changes in sensation as well as respiratory dysfunction.
Some neuromuscular diseases are congenital or inherited. The most common disease in children is Duchenne muscular dystrophy. One in 3,500 boys is affected by this disease, which begins in infancy with slight weakness of the legs and affects more and more muscle groups as the child grows older. Other congenital diseases can occur either in infancy or only in the course of time, e.g. congenital myopathies, certain limb-girdle muscular dystrophies or myotonic dystrophy.
Other neuromuscular diseases occur due to inflammation, infections, metabolic disorders or neurodegenerative diseases. The latter includes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in which the nerve cells (motor neurons) responsible for supplying the muscles with nerve impulses are affected. This also includes chronic inflammation of the muscles (polymyositis) or nerves (chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; CIDP).
If required, additional examinations such as electroneurography (ENG), electromyography (EMG), examinations of the neuromuscular end plate (repetitive stimulation, stimulated single-fiber EMG), motor-evoked potentials (MEP), electrophysiological testing of autonomic functions (sympathetic sudomotor stimulus response, R-R interval variation), metabolic examinations including metabolic function tests as well as nerve and muscle biopsies are carried out.
The Neuromuscular Center Zurich has a specialized ALS consultation hour where our patients are cared for and treated by the medical team. We are the point of contact not only for medical questions, but also for nursing, social and psychological issues and, if necessary, arrange appropriate support services close to home.
Contact
mail muskel@usz.ch
Tel. +41 44 255 55 20
Have you been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and would you like to contribute to ALS research? Then why not register for the ALS Registry Switzerland? This is a Swiss-wide registry study initiated by the University Hospital Zurich and currently being conducted in collaboration with several Swiss hospitals (Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale Lugano, Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève, Kantonsspital Luzern). For participation or further information, please contact our study coordinator by telephone on +41 44 255 55 20 (Monday all day, Tuesday – Friday morning) or send us an e-mail to jan.loosli@usz.ch
The scientific focus of the Neuromuscular Center Zurich is the investigation of the influence of physical training on muscle characteristics and the course of neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases. A project to investigate the effect of physical training on patients with Huntington’s disease is currently being funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).
Clinical-pathological case conferences are held regularly, twice a year with the participation of specialists from other Swiss muscle centers, and the Neuromuscular Symposium is held annually.
Senior Physician, Department of Neurology
Senior Attending Physician, Department of Neurology
Attending Physician, Department of Neurology
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University Hospital Zurich
Department of Neurology
Neuromuscular Center
Frauenklinikstrasse 26
8091 Zurich