A disease such as muscle hypotension is most often diagnosed in children. Pathology is characterized by a decrease in muscle tone. Sometimes combined with paresis of limbs. Muscle hypotension can be congenital and acquired, and the latter form affects patients in adulthood.
Disease Description
The tone of muscle tissue is never a primary and independent disease. Hypotension is often a complication of another, more serious disorder in the body. The pathogenesis of muscle weakness is based on an insufficiently acute reaction of fibers to nerve impulses, as a result of which motor neurons are affected and muscle strength decreases. Thus, muscle hypotension in infants, older children and adults is more correctly considered not a disease, but a syndrome.
At risk of muscle tone reduction are patients suffering from diseases of the brain, peripheral nervous system and spinal cord. Often suffer from muscle hypotension and those individuals who have a history of autoimmune and metabolic disorders.
What happens to the muscles
Muscle tone indicates muscle tissue function. Any signals sent by the central nervous system induce to perform a certain action. Depending on the degree of hypotension, the rate of reaction to incoming pulses can significantly decrease. In severe cases, hypotension leads to a lack of response from the nervous system and the development of paresis. Such disorders are characterized by increased lethargy of muscle tissue and the inability to keep them in tension even for a short time.
The opposite phenomenon can be called hypertonicity. This violation is characterized by muscle strain due to the supply of neural signals. If it is difficult for a patient with limb muscle hypotension to strain and bend his leg at the knee, then for a patient with hypertonicity, on the contrary, it is difficult to relax the leg and return it to its original state. Both hypotension and hypertonicity are not mutually exclusive; in children and adults, both forms of disorders can occur.
Disease classification
Types of muscle hypotension are distinguished by the localization of the pathological process and the degree of damage. As already noted, hypotonus is congenital and acquired. In the first case, most often we are talking about the presence of a genetic ailment. The cause of acquired hypotension in most cases are:
- birth injuries;
- transferred dangerous infectious diseases;
- metabolic failure;
- autoimmune disorders.
The area of the lesion distinguishes between generalized or focal hypotension, diffuse or local. Conventionally, pathology is divided into two types according to the pace of development: it can be acute or progressing slowly.
Muscle hypotension in adults has two degrees of gradation - spinal and cerebral. According to the frequency of manifestations, the disease can be episodic or recurrent in nature. For some types of hypotension, periods of decline and rise are typical.
Separation of hypotension into central and peripheral makes it possible to determine the type of pathology, to identify the area in which there is a failure in the supply or receipt of an impulse. Peripheral hypotension happens:
- neuronal;
- neural
- synoptic;
- muscle.
For the diffuse type of the disease, damage to the central nervous system is characteristic. With localized hypotension, disorders occur in the functioning of peripheral centers, while the work of the upper and lower extremities is affected. More severe are cases where a failure occurs simultaneously in the peripheral and central system. It is very difficult to cure such a disease even with modern medical care. The risk of serious complications, paralysis and death of patients with muscle hypotension remains high.
Why does womb hypotension develop?
In a predominant number of cases, a syndrome of decreased muscle tone in a baby is a congenital disorder, therefore it is usually detected by a neonatologist in a maternity hospital. The diagnosis of muscle hypotension is established upon examination. The main symptom of the disease at such an early age is the inability to make involuntary flexion movements of the limbs. In some cases, this symptom is regarded as a concomitant sign of neurological disorders, developmental abnormalities and genetic abnormalities.
The causes of congenital muscle hypotension in children are genetic diseases such as syndromes:
- Down.
- Marfana
- Lei.
- Deletions.
- Thea is Saxon.
- Degerina - Sotta.
In some cases, the cause of the development of pathology is spinal muscular atrophy. Muscle hypotension in children often develops due to septic dysplasia, pituitary dwarfism, non-ketotic hyperglycinemia. Reduced muscle tone occurs with the following intrauterine growth disorders:
- congenital cerebellar ataxia,
- dyspraxia;
- sensory integration dysfunction;
- cerebral paralysis;
- abnormalities of the thyroid gland;
- hypothyroidism.
The trauma received during childbirth, intrauterine asphyxia and cerebral hemorrhage can serve as an impetus for the development of hypotension in the muscles of the face and limbs. The muscle tone in newborns who have suffered any of these disorders is almost always reduced. Muscular hypotension usually develops rapidly, but in some cases is characterized by a protracted rate of progression.
Causes of Acquired Hypotension in Children and Adults
At an older age, many causes can be the cause of muscle weakness. First of all, they include genetic pathologies, including muscle dystrophy, Rett syndrome, metachromatic leukodystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy. Muscle tone in children and adults can decrease due to extensive toxic poisoning with heavy metals, mercury.
Hypotension of the muscles of the tongue in adult patients is a rather rare occurrence, usually caused in the recent past by blood poisoning or infectious diseases with serious health consequences (meningoencephalitis, polio, botulism). The risk of developing hypotension in children older than one year increases with metabolic disorders such as rickets or jaundice. Autoimmune disorders, including myasthenia gravis, celiac disease, post-vaccination complications, can provoke hypotension. Traumatic brain injury may be the cause of acquired hypotension in the muscles of the legs or arms.
Symptoms in children
The clinical picture of muscle hypotension is hardly the same for all patients. Symptoms depend on the cause of the syndrome, the age of the patient and the stage of the underlying disease. Hypotension of the muscles of the limbs in newborns can be suspected if the following conditions exist:
- the baby almost does not respond to muscle irritation;
- natural reflexes are suppressed or completely absent.
A neurologist can diagnose a decreased muscle tone in a child up to a year if the baby:
- not able to hold the head (at the age of 3-4 months);
- does not roll over from the back to the stomach and back (6-7 months);
- does not hold toys (5-6 months).
If you take a baby with hypotension in his hands, he will involuntarily raise his arms up. Children suffering from hypotension differ from healthy babies even in a dream: they lie flat, their bodies and limbs are fully straightened, arms and legs are not bent at the joints, but are extended along the body. A child with low muscle tone has a general delay in physical development.
What is the difference between the diffuse form of the disease
This type of muscle hypotension at an early age is accompanied by problems of respiratory function. The child may not have reflexes, reduced sucking skills, poor appetite and weight loss are possible. Over time, diffuse muscle hypotension in children leads to developmental delay, muscle atrophy, curvature of bones, spine and paralysis.
The danger of this pathology is that it can progress for a long time without any manifestations. There are many cases when genetic abnormalities were not immediately apparent, but only after a few years or even in adulthood.
What do adult patients complain about?
Symptoms of acquired hypotension are nonspecific. The signs of this violation are not much different from the manifestations of a number of other neurological diseases. Judging by the complaints of patients, the most common symptoms of muscle hypotension in adults are:
- feeling of constant weakness;
- frequent headache attacks that are not stopped by antispasmodics and painkillers;
- unpleasant pain in the chest;
- tachycardia;
- insomnia or, conversely, increased drowsiness;
- numbness of the fingers on the limbs;
- profuse sweating, not associated with a change in temperature.
Changes are observed in the behavior of a patient with hypotension. Usually they are too tearful, suspicious and irritable. If you do not start treatment in the near future, the probability of developing serious complications, up to disability, is not ruled out.
Diagnostic procedures
A neurologist is able to confirm the diagnosis. If the child has signs of muscle hypotension in the hospital, he is referred for consultation with a doctor of the appropriate profile. To make a diagnosis, a neurologist should familiarize himself with laboratory tests that confirm or exclude genetic abnormalities. Among the studies that are prescribed for hypotension, the most common are:
- general and biochemical blood tests;
- muscle biopsy;
- computed or magnetic resonance imaging;
- electromyography;
- laboratory study of cerebrospinal fluid.
Interestingly, the ICD of the 10th revision does not mention muscle hypotension as an independent disease. Based on the results of the examination, conclusions are drawn about the disease, against the background of which hypotonus developed, and treatment is prescribed.
How to deal with this disease
The treatment of muscle hypotension is a complex and lengthy process. To defeat the serious neurological deviation that caused this syndrome, you will have to stock up on strength and patience. Do not despair, as there are chances for a full recovery even in advanced cases.
A universal drug that would help with muscle hypotension does not exist today, but doctors will be able to find effective therapeutic programs aimed at developing muscle tone and relieving symptoms. Even if positive dynamics are not observed, it is impossible to refuse treatment, since it does not allow the disease to progress further.
Among the methods that are used in the fight against hypotension, physiotherapy occupies an important place. For babies who are suspected of muscle hypotension, massage is a must. It can be prescribed even when the research results are still unknown. Indeed, in any case, the course of therapeutic massage does not harm, but, on the contrary, will help to increase motor activity and improve respiratory functions. Physical education and gymnastics, air baths and other procedures, which are aimed at strengthening the shoulder girdle and back, contribute to the healing process, are effective for the overall healing of the body.
For older children, the development of fine motor skills through drawing, modeling, finger games, and collecting puzzles is imperative. Do not wait for violations of the speech apparatus: if a child suffers from hypotension from birth, classes with a speech therapist will benefit him for preventive purposes. In the treatment of this disorder, great importance belongs to a balanced rational diet, which should include all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and trace elements. The use of special drugs is mandatory for muscle hypotension. Medications of the neurometabolic group are prescribed based on the underlying pathology, its severity and prognosis.
If conservative treatment does not bring the desired results, it is possible to improve the patient's quality of life with the help of implantable devices that will ensure the transmission of impulses to the problem area using electric or pharmacological effects. In case of muscular hypotension, it is equally important to pay attention to maintaining or forming correct posture and gait.
Treatment will require a lot of time, you do not need to hope for a quick result. However, complex measures will certainly bring the expected effect, the main thing is not to despair.
Can hypotension be prevented
Parents should know how to recognize hypotension in a newborn or an older child. If there is a suspicion of muscle hypotension, it is necessary to undergo an examination by a neurologist. To prevent the development of such diseases, it is important from the very birth of a child to follow the instructions of the local pediatrician, undergo monthly examinations and prevent rickets.
It is important to understand that in most cases muscle hypotension occurs as a result of genetic and metabolic disorders, which are almost impossible to foresee. In addition, a decreased muscle tone is a symptom of several dozen different diseases, and often doctors are not able to determine exactly which illness they are dealing with in a particular case.
Of great importance is outdoor activities and walks in the fresh air. For the purpose of prevention, you should regularly massage your child. You can master the technique of therapeutic massage in the clinic during one of the sessions. A pediatric physiotherapist will introduce you to the basics and show how to perform basic exercises at home.