Takeaway
- Most children with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) gradually regain motor function after various appropriate treatments.
Why this matters
- The number of AFM cases has been increasing since first reported in 2012.
Key results
- AFM affects a subset of children with acute flaccid paralysis.
- There is a sudden onset of muscle weakness/paralysis in ≥ 1 limb with predominantly gray matter involvement.
- Treatment was intravenous (IV) corticosteroids, IV immunoglobulin, plasmapheresis, or fluoxetine.
- Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores decreased from 4 at disease onset to 2.5 at 3-6 months (P=.007).
- At a single-center site at 4 months after disease onset, 11/12 (91.7%) had partial motor recovery with residual deficits, 1 (8.3%) fully recovered, and 1 (8.3%) had no improvement.
Study design
- Retrospective chart review of outcomes of AFM cases in Canada in 2018.
- Children (n=29) were
- Upper and lower extremity muscle outcomes were assessed using the Medical Research Council grading system (MRC). Functional outcomes were based on the EDSS.
- The motor outcome metric was the time to MRC ≥3 in 3 out of 5 muscle groups evaluated.
Limitations
- Small cohort size.
- Heterogeneous treatment.
- Retrospective analysis.
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