进行性肌萎缩（Progressive Muscular Atrophy，P.M.A）是一种具有进行性、对称性、以近端为主的弛缓性瘫痪和肌肉萎缩为特征的遗传性下运动神经元疾病。确切原因仍不清楚。有人记述本病的常染色体显性或隐性遗传特征。不同的病例可属不同的原因，如受寒、疲劳、感染、铅中毒、外伤，还有继发于梅毒，脊髓灰质炎的报导。进行性脊肌萎缩仅由脊髓前角细胞变性所致。虽经许多研究，提出过慢病毒感染、免疫功能异常、遗传因素、重金属中毒、营养代谢障碍以及环境等因素致病的假说，但均未被证实。

Progressive muscular atrophy (PMA), also known as Duchenne-Aran muscular atrophy and by various other names, is a rare subtype of motor neuron disease (MND) that affects only the lower motor neurons. PMA is thought to account for around 4% of all MND cases. This is in contrast to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of MND, which affects both the upper and lower motor neurones, or primary lateral sclerosis, another rare MND variant, which affects only the upper motor neurons. The distinction is important because PMA is associated with a better prognosis than classic ALS.