Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan and University of Calgary have found unusually high rates of a rare neuromuscular disorder known as Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy, or Kennedy’s Disease, among Indigenous people in Saskatchewan.
The research findings have been published in the journal “Neurology Genetics.” They revealed that among people of Indigenous descent in Saskatchewan, the rate of Kennedy’s Disease is 14.7/100,000, compared with the average rate of one to two per 100,000. Of the participants in the study in the Prairie provinces, 83 per cent self-identified as Indigenous.

Kennedy’s Disease is a hereditary disease that affects motor neurons. It causes weakness, cramps, muscle twitches in arms and legs, and affects speaking, swallowing, and breathing.
The research team has received a $50,000 grant from the Kennedy’s Disease Association to continue the research. They will expand the work to Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ont., and do more research with patients in Saskatoon.