Index
Also called flaccid child syndrome, it is a condition of decreased muscle tone caused by many situations.
Low-tone muscles contract very slowly in response to a stimulus and can not maintain a contraction for as long as a normal muscle.
Hypotonia, or severely decreased muscle tone, is observed mainly in children.
Muscular tone
Low muscle tone can be caused by various conditions and often indicates an underlying central nervous system disorder, a genetic disorder, or a muscle disorder.
Muscle tone is the amount of tension or resistance to movement in a muscle.
It is not the same as muscle weakness, which is a reduction in the strength of a muscle but can coexist with muscle weakness.
Muscle tone indicates a muscle’s ability to respond to a stretch.
For example, if the flexed arm of a normal-toned child straightens quickly, the flexor muscle of the component (biceps) will contract rapidly in response.
Once the stimulus is removed, the muscle relaxes and returns to its normal resting state.
A child with a low muscle tone has slow muscles to start a muscle contraction.
The muscles contract very slowly in response to a stimulus and can not maintain a contraction as long as a normal muscle.
Because the low tone muscles do not contract completely before they relax again, they remain loose and very elastic without reaching their maximum potential to sustain a muscle contraction over time.
They rest with their elbows and knees slightly extended, while babies with normal muscle tone tend to have their elbows and knees flexed.
The control of the head is usually poor or absent in the baby, with the charge dropped to one side, backward, or forward.
Normal-toned babies can get up by placing their hands under the armpits, but hypotonic babies tend to slip between their hands as their arms rise without resistance upward.
While most children tend to flex their elbows and knees when they rest, hypotonic children hang their arms and legs without strength at their sides.
Babies with this condition often fall behind in reaching the fine, thick motor development milestones that allow babies to hold their heads when they are placed in the stomach, maintain balance, or sit and remain seated without falling.
Hypotonia is also characterized by problems with mobility and posture, lethargy, weak ligaments and joints, and poor reflexes.
Since the muscles that support the joints of the bone are so soft, there is a tendency for hip, jaw, and neck dislocations to occur.
Some hypotonic children also have trouble feeding and can not suckle or suckle for long periods.
Others may also have problems with speech or show shallow breathing. Hypotonia, however, does not affect the intellect.
Causes
Hypotheses are often of unknown origin.
Scientists believe that they can be caused by trauma, environmental factors, or other genetic, muscular, or central nervous system disorders. The National Institutes of Health lists the following common causes of hypotonia:
Down Syndrome: A chromosomal abnormality, usually due to an additional copy of the twenty-first chromosome.
Myasthenia gravis: A neuromuscular disorder characterized by the variable weakness of voluntary muscles, which often improves with rest and worsens with activity. An abnormal immune response causes the condition.
Prader-Willi syndrome: A congenital disease characterized by obesity, severe hypotonia, and decreased mental capacity
Kernicterus: Also called Rh incompatibility, a condition that develops when there is a difference in the Rh blood type between that of the mother (Rh-negative) and that of the fetus (Rh-positive).
Cerebellar ataxia: A movement disorder that, with its sudden onset, often after an infectious viral disease, causes hypotonia.
Infant botulism: A type of botulism in which Clostridium Botulinum bacteria grows inside a baby’s digestive tract, producing a toxin that can be life-threatening.
Family dysautonomia: Also called Riley-Day syndrome, a hereditary disorder that affects the function of nerves throughout the body.
Marfan syndrome: A hereditary disorder of the connective tissue (tissue that strengthens the body’s structures), which affects the skeletal system, the cardiovascular system, the eyes, and the skin.
Muscular dystrophy: A group of disorders characterized by progressive muscle weakness and loss of muscle tissue.
Achondroplasia: A bone growth disorder that causes the most common type of dwarfism.
Trisomy 13: A syndrome associated with the presence of a third chromosome number 13.
Sepsis: A severe life-threatening disease caused by an overwhelming bloodstream infection by toxin-producing bacteria.
Aicardi syndrome: A rare genetic disorder characterized by infantile spasms (shaking), absence of the corpus callosum (the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain), mental retardation, and retina lesions of the eye or optic nerve.
Canavan disease: A hereditary metabolic disorder characterized by the degeneration of white matter.
Hypervitaminosis D: A condition that appears several months after excessive doses of vitamin D are given.
Krabbe disease: A hereditary disorder characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme galactosylceramide, destroying myelin, the fatty material that surrounds and isolates many nerves.
Metachromatic leukodystrophy: A hereditary disease characterized by the absence of the enzyme arylsulfatase A, which causes a material called cerebroside sulfate to accumulate in cells, which is toxic to cells, especially to cells of the nervous system.
Methylmalonic: A hereditary metabolic disorder, usually diagnosed in childhood, causes the accumulation of methylmalonic acid in the body and can cause severe metabolic diseases.
Spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (Werdnig-Hoffman): A group of inherited diseases that cause progressive muscle degeneration and weakness and ultimately lead to death.
Tay-Sachs disease: A genetic disorder predominantly found in Jewish families and results in premature death.
Reaction to the vaccine: Any injury or condition that occurs due to a vaccination.
symptom
Each child may experience different symptoms, depending on the underlying cause of the hypotonia:
- Decreased muscle tone; the muscles feel soft.
- Ability to extend the limb beyond its standard limit.
- Inability to acquire motor skills in development milestones (such as holding the head without parental support, turning around, sitting without permission, and walking).
- Feeding problems (inability to suck or chew for prolonged periods).
- Shallow breathing, the mouth hangs with the tongue sticking out.
When to call the doctor
Children with normal development tend to develop motor skills, posture control, and movement skills at a certain age.
Motor skills are divided into two categories. Thick motor skills include a child’s ability to lift his head while lying on his stomach and roll over from his back to his stomach.
Usually, a child develops the gross motor skills necessary to sit and sit without falling, crawling, walking, running, and jumping at a certain age.
Fine motor skills include grabbing, transferring an object from one hand to another, pointing to an object, following a toy or person with the eyes, or feeding.
Hypotonic children are slow to develop these skills. Parents should contact their pediatrician if they notice such delays or lack of muscle control, especially if the child previously appeared to have standard muscle control.
Diagnosis
Hypotonia is usually discovered within the first months of life.
Since it is associated with many different underlying disorders, the doctor will seek to establish a family history and the child’s medical history.
A physical examination will be performed, which usually includes a detailed analysis of the nervous system and muscle function.
The latter can be performed with instruments, such as lights and reflex hammers, and usually does not cause any pain to the child.
Most disorders associated with hypotonia also cause other symptoms that, when taken together, suggest a specific condition and the cause of the hypotonia.
The specific diagnostic tests used will vary according to the suspected cause of the hypotonia.
The following diagnostic tests can also be used:
Test (CK): High level of CK in the blood indicates that the muscles are damaged or degenerated.
Computed tomography (CT) scan: An imaging procedure that uses a combination of x-rays and computer technology to produce cross-sectional images. CT scans help doctors evaluate bone and muscle structures.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): A diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets, radio frequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within the body.
Electroencephalogram (EEG): A test that measures electrical activity in the brain. An EEG measures brain waves through small button electrodes placed on the child’s scalp.
Spinal tap: Lumbar puncture measures the amount of pressure in the spinal canal and removes a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid for testing. Cerebrospinal fluid bathes the brain and spinal cord.
Karyotype: Test that performs a chromosomal analysis from a blood test to determine if the hypotonia results from a genetic disorder.
Muscle biopsy: Sample of muscle tissue removed and examined under a microscope. Hypotonia can be evaluated because muscle fibers have a smaller diameter than normal muscle.
Treatment
When an underlying condition causes hypotonia, that condition is treated first, followed by symptomatic therapy and support for hypotonia.
Physical therapy can improve fine motor control and general body strength.
Occupational and speech and language therapy can help you breathe, talk and swallow. Treatment for infants and young children can also include sensory stimulation programs.
The specific treatment for hypotonia is determined by the child’s doctor as follows:
- The child’s age, his general state of health, and his medical history.
- The extent of the condition.
- The underlying cause of the condition.
- The child’s tolerance for medications, procedures, or therapies.
- Expectations for the course of the condition.
No specific treatment is required to treat mild congenital hypotonia, but children with this problem may need treatment periodically for common conditions associated with hypotonia, such as recurrent joint dislocations.
Treatment programs to help increase muscle strength and sensory stimulation programs develop once the cause of the child’s hypotonia is established.
Such programs usually involve physical therapy through early intervention or a school program, among other forms of treatment.
Hypotonic children are often treated by one or more of the following specialists:
Pediatrician of development: A pediatrician with specialized training in children and intellectual development and health and physical growth.
They can perform a developmental assessment to determine any delay the child has and to what extent the delay is present.
Neurologist: A doctor who has been trained in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the nervous system, including diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and muscles.
Neurologists perform neurological exams of the nerves of the head and neck; strength and muscular movement; balance, ambulation, and reflexes; and sensation, memory, speech, language, and other cognitive abilities.
Geneticist: Specialist in genetic disorders. They begin with a detailed history of the family, examine the child’s characteristics, and order blood tests to look at the 46 chromosomes and possibly specific genes on those chromosomes.
Occupational Therapist (OT): A professional who has specialized training to help developmental or physical skills that help achieve activities of daily living, with careful attention to improving fine motor skills.
In a developmental assessment, the occupational therapist evaluates the child’s fine motor skills, coordination, and age-appropriate self-help skills (eating with utensils, dressing, etc.).
Physiotherapist (FT): A professional trained in evaluating and providing therapy to treat developmental delays using exercise, heat, light, and massage.
In a developmental assessment, the physiotherapist assesses the capacity and quality of the child’s use of the legs, arms, and whole body by observing the deployment of specific motor skills and observing the child in the game.
Speech / language pathologist (TDL)): A professional trained in the evaluation and treatment of communication problems.
Some SLPs are also trained to work with oral / motor problems, such as swallowing and other feeding difficulties resulting from hypotonia.
Nutritional concerns In some hypotonic children, the suction is weak and, in some cases, is not present at all. They do not feel like eating.
