Acute Flaccid Myelitis (Afm)

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a rare but serious illness that impacts the spinal cord. This means it can cause sudden weakness in the arms or legs, making them feel floppy and less responsive. Reflexes, like the quick kick you might get when your doctor taps your knee, also disappear. Importantly, AFM mostly affects young children.

Usually, a child with AFM has had a common cold or other mild illness, like a fever, caused by a virus, in the week or two before the AFM symptoms show up. This viral illness often comes first.

If you or your child experience any of these AFM symptoms, get immediate medical attention. The symptoms can quickly worsen. Hospital care is crucial, and sometimes a machine to help with breathing (a ventilator) might be needed.

Since doctors started carefully watching for AFM after a few cases were noticed in 2014, there have been outbreaks in the United States in 2016 and 2018. These outbreaks tend to happen in the late summer and fall, between August and November.

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a condition that can cause sudden muscle weakness. The most common symptoms of AFM are:

• Sudden weakness in your arms or legs. This might feel like your muscles are giving out, making it hard to lift things or move around.
• Sudden loss of muscle tone. Your muscles might feel floppy or loose. Imagine a limp rag doll – that's a similar feeling.
• Sudden loss of reflexes. Reflexes are automatic responses your body makes, like when your doctor taps your knee. With AFM, these responses might disappear.

You might also experience some other problems:

• Trouble moving your eyes or drooping eyelids. This can make it hard to see clearly or even blink.
• Drooping or weakness on one side of your face. This is called facial droop.
• Difficulty swallowing or slurred speech. You might have trouble getting food down or your speech might sound unclear.
• Pain in your arms, legs, neck, or back. This pain can be a significant symptom for some people.

Less common symptoms can include:

• Numbness or tingling in your body. This sensation can be like pins and needles.
• Inability to urinate. This is a serious symptom that needs immediate attention.

In severe cases, AFM can lead to problems breathing. This is because the muscles used for breathing can weaken. This can lead to respiratory failure, which is life-threatening. AFM can also cause dangerous changes in your body temperature and blood pressure. These are very serious and require immediate medical care.

If you or your child are experiencing any of the listed symptoms, get medical help right away. It's important to see a doctor without delay.

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a disease that affects the nervous system. A common cause of AFM is an infection from a virus called an enterovirus. Many people get sick with a cold or flu-like illness from enteroviruses, especially children. Most people recover completely. However, it's not fully understood why some people who get an enterovirus infection develop AFM.

In the US, enteroviruses, and other viruses, are more common between August and November. This time of year often sees outbreaks of AFM.

Symptoms of AFM can be similar to the symptoms of polio. Crucially, though, AFM cases in the US are not caused by the polio virus.

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a disease that mostly impacts young children. It's a condition that affects the spinal cord. When this happens, the spinal cord's ability to send signals to and from the brain can be disrupted. This disruption can lead to muscle weakness and/or paralysis. It's important to note that while primarily affecting children, AFM can sometimes occur in other age groups.

Sometimes, a sudden illness called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) can cause muscles to become weak. This weakness can last for a significant period, sometimes even months or years. People experiencing this condition may have trouble moving certain parts of their body. The length of time this weakness persists varies from person to person.

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) doesn't have a specific prevention method. However, since AFM often follows a viral infection, taking steps to prevent viral illnesses can lower your chances of getting AFM.

Here are some simple ways to help protect yourself and your family from viruses:

• Wash your hands frequently: Use soap and water. This is one of the most important things you can do. Wash your hands often, especially after being in public places, using the restroom, and before eating. Make sure to wash for at least 20 seconds.

• Keep your hands away from your face: Germs can easily spread from your hands to your eyes, nose, and mouth. Try to avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.

• Limit contact with sick people: If someone in your family or community is sick, try to keep your distance. This helps stop the spread of germs. If possible, stay away from individuals with coughs, colds, or other contagious illnesses.

• Clean and disinfect surfaces: Wipe down frequently touched surfaces like doorknobs, light switches, and countertops with disinfectant. This will help remove germs and keep them from spreading. Focus on surfaces that are commonly touched.

• Cover coughs and sneezes: When you cough or sneeze, use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands. This helps prevent the spread of germs.

• Keep sick children home: If your child is sick, keep them home from school or daycare to prevent spreading illness to others. This can help stop the chain of infection. This also gives your child the rest they need to get better.

Doctors use several methods to diagnose acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). AFM can be tricky to identify because its symptoms often overlap with other neurological illnesses, like Guillain-Barré syndrome. To pinpoint AFM, doctors typically follow these steps:

1. Detailed History and Physical Exam: The doctor first asks about your or your child's medical history and performs a thorough physical examination. This involves checking for any signs of weakness, muscle stiffness, and reduced reflexes in affected areas.

2. Identifying the Problem Areas: The doctor focuses on areas of the body showing weakness, poor muscle tone (flaccidity), and decreased reflexes. This helps narrow down the possible causes.

3. Neuroimaging (MRI): A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan creates detailed pictures of the brain and spinal cord. This helps doctors look for any abnormalities that might indicate AFM.

4. Laboratory Testing: To further investigate the cause, doctors might collect samples. These samples could include cerebrospinal fluid (fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord), respiratory secretions, blood, and stool. These samples are sent to a lab for analysis.

5. Nerve Conduction Studies: These tests measure how quickly electrical signals travel along nerves and how muscles react to nerve signals. These studies can help doctors differentiate AFM from other conditions with similar symptoms.

By combining these methods, doctors can more accurately diagnose AFM and develop an appropriate treatment plan.

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) currently doesn't have a specific cure. Doctors focus on easing the symptoms.

A doctor specializing in brain and spinal cord conditions (a neurologist) might suggest physical or occupational therapy. This helps with problems like weak arms or legs. Starting these therapies early in the illness could lead to better long-term recovery. For example, exercises and specific activities can help regain strength and movement in affected limbs.

Doctors might also try different medicines. These could include immunoglobulin, which uses antibodies from healthy people to boost the body's immune response. They might also prescribe corticosteroids, which reduce inflammation in the body, or antiviral drugs. Another option is plasma exchange, where blood plasma is removed and replaced. However, whether these treatments actually help is still being researched. There's no guarantee that these medications will improve the condition or the outcome.

In some cases, surgery to transfer nerves or muscles might be considered to help improve the function of a limb. This is usually a last resort, and there's no certainty of success. This type of surgery is typically only done when other treatments haven't worked and the patient's condition is severe.