acute flaccid myelitis
nounDefinition of acute flaccid myelitis
: a serious, rare, neurological condition of sudden onset chiefly affecting young children that causes inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord, results in severe, sometimes permanent weakness and loss of muscle tone especially of the arms or legs, and is often preceded by a viral respiratory illness or fever
Note: In addition to the limbs, acute flaccid myelitis may also involve the face, neck, or torso with symptoms including facial droop, slurred speech, difficulty in swallowing, and respiratory failure. While a virus (such as an enterovirus, poliovirus, or flavivirus) is often the cause of acute flaccid myelitis, other causes may include environmental toxins and autoimmune disorders, or the cause may be unknown.
Symptoms associated with acute flaccid myelitis tend to occur about a week after children develop a fever and respiratory illness, causing some to lose the ability to move their face, neck, back, arms or legs.— Lauren Sausser … he appears to have acute flaccid myelitis, a strange and rare paralysis that mainly afflicts children between 4 and 8.— Anne Saker —abbreviation AFMKeep scrolling for more
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