Such a disease as muscle hypotension is most often diagnosed in children. Pathology is characterized by a decrease in muscle tone. Sometimes it is combined with paresis of the limbs. Muscle hypotension can be congenital or acquired, with the latter form affecting patients into adulthood.
Description of the disease
Muscle tone 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 sharp reaction of fibers to nerve impulses, as a result of which motor neurons are affected and muscle strength is reduced. Thus, muscle hypotonia in infants, older children and adults is more correctly considered not a disease, but a syndrome.
At the risk of reducing muscle tone are patients suffering from diseases of the brain, peripheral nervous system and spinal cord. Often suffer from muscle hypotonia and those individuals with a history of autoimmune and metabolic disorders.
What happens to the muscles
Ohthe work of muscle tissues is evidenced by muscle tone. Any signals sent by the central nervous system prompt a certain action. Depending on the degree of hypotension, the speed of reaction to incoming impulses may decrease markedly. In severe cases, hypotension leads to a lack of reaction from the nervous system and the development of paresis. Such disorders are characterized by increased lethargy of muscle tissues and the inability to keep them in a tense state even for a short time.
Directly opposite phenomenon can be called hypertonicity. This disorder is characterized by muscle overstrain due to the supply of neural signals. If it is difficult for a patient with hypotension of the muscles of the limbs to strain and bend the 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, both forms of disorders can occur in children and adults.
Disease classification
Types of muscle hypotension are distinguished by the localization of the pathological process and the degree of damage. As already noted, hypotension is congenital and acquired. In the first case, most often we are talking about the presence of a genetic disease. Acquired hypotension is most commonly caused by:
- birth trauma;
- transferred dangerous infectious diseases;
- metabolic failure;
- autoimmune disorders.
According to the area of the lesion, hypotension is distinguished generalized or focal, diffuse or local. Conventionally, the pathology is divided into two types according to the pace of development: it can be acute or slowly progressing.
Muscle hypotonia in adults has two degrees of gradation - spinal and cerebral. According to the frequency of manifestations, the disease can be episodic or recurrent. For some types of hypotension, periods of decline and rise are typical.
The division of hypotension into central and peripheral makes it possible to determine the type of pathology, to identify the area where there is a failure in the supply or receipt of an impulse. Peripheral hypotension happens:
- neuronal;
- neural;
- synoptic;
- muscular.
Diffuse type of disease is characterized by damage to the central nervous system. With localized hypotension, disturbances occur in the functioning of peripheral centers, while the work of the upper and lower extremities is affected. More severe cases are considered when a failure occurs simultaneously in the peripheral and central systems. It is very difficult to cure such a disease even with modern medical care. The risk of severe complications, paralysis and death in patients with muscle hypotension remains high.
Why does hypotension develop in the womb
In the predominant number of cases, the syndrome of reduced muscle tone in an infant is a congenital disorder, therefore it is usually detected by a neonatologist in the maternity hospital. The diagnosis of "muscular hypotension" is established during the examination. The main symptom of the disease in suchearly 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 anomalies and genetic abnormalities.
The causes of congenital muscle hypotension in children are genetic diseases such as syndromes:
- Duna.
- Marfana.
- Leia.
- Deletions.
- Thea – Saxa.
- Dejerine - Sotta.
In some cases, the cause of the pathology is spinal muscular atrophy. Muscle hypotonia in children often develops due to septic dysplasia, pituitary dwarfism, non-ketotic hyperglycinemia. Reduced muscle tone occurs with the following intrauterine developmental disorders:
- congenital cerebellar ataxia,
- dyspraxia;
- sensory integration dysfunction;
- cerebral palsy;
- anomalies in the development of the thyroid gland;
- hypothyroidism.
To serve as an impetus for the development of hypotension of the muscles of the face, limbs is capable of trauma during childbirth, intrauterine asphyxia and cerebral hemorrhage. 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, the cause of the weakening of muscle tissuethere could be many reasons. First of all, they include genetic pathologies, including muscular dystrophy, Rett syndrome, metachromatic leukodystrophy, and spinal muscular atrophy. Muscle tone in children and adults may decrease against the background of extensive toxic poisoning with heavy metals, mercury.
Hypotension of the muscles of the tongue in adult patients is a rather rare phenomenon, which is usually caused by recent blood poisoning or infectious diseases with serious he alth consequences (meningoencephalitis, poliomyelitis, botulism). The risk of developing hypotension in children older than one year increases with metabolic disorders such as rickets or jaundice. Autoimmune disorders are capable of provoking hypotension, including myasthenia gravis, celiac disease, and post-vaccination complications. The cause of acquired hypotension of the muscles of the legs or arms may be a traumatic brain injury.
Symptoms in children
The clinical picture of muscular hypotension can hardly be called 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 are present:
- baby barely responds to muscle stimulation;
- natural reflexes are suppressed or completely absent.
A neurologist can diagnose reduced muscle tone in a child under one year old if the baby:
- unable to hold head (3-4 months of age);
- does not roll over from back to stomach andback (6-7 months);
- does not hold toys (5-6 months).
If a baby with hypotonia is picked up, he will involuntarily raise his arms up. Children suffering from hypotension differ from he althy babies even in sleep: they lie evenly, the body and limbs are fully extended, arms and legs are not bent at the joints, but 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 respiratory problems. The child may have no reflexes, reduced sucking skills, poor appetite and weight loss. Over time, diffuse muscle hypotonia in children leads to developmental delays, muscle atrophy, curvature of the bones, spine and paralysis.
The danger of this pathology lies in the fact that it can progress for a long time without any manifestations. There are many cases when genetic abnormalities did not make themselves felt immediately, but only after a few years or even in adulthood.
What adult patients complain about
Symptoms of acquired hypotension are non-specific. The signs of this disorder are not much different from the manifestations of a number of other neurological diseases. Based on patient complaints, the most common symptoms of muscle hypotension in adults are:
- feeling constantly weak;
- frequent headaches that do not stopantispasmodics and painkillers;
- uncomfortable chest pain;
- tachycardia;
- insomnia or, conversely, increased drowsiness;
- numbness of fingers on limbs;
- excessive sweating, not associated with a change in temperature.
Changes are also observed in the behavior of a patient with hypotension. Usually they are too whiny, suspicious and irritable. If you do not start treatment in the near future, it is possible that serious complications will develop, up to disability.
Diagnostic procedures
A neurologist can confirm the diagnosis. If signs of muscle hypotonia are found in the maternity hospital, the child is referred for a consultation with a doctor of the appropriate profile. To make a diagnosis, the neurologist must familiarize himself with laboratory tests confirming or excluding genetic abnormalities. Among the studies that are prescribed for hypotension, the most common are:
- general and biochemical blood tests;
- muscle tissue biopsy;
- computer or magnetic resonance imaging;
- electromyography;
- laboratory study of cerebrospinal fluid.
Interestingly, the ICD 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 which hypotension has developed, and treatment is prescribed.
How to deal with this disease
Treatment of muscle hypotension iscomplex and lengthy process. To defeat a serious neurological abnormality that caused this syndrome, you will have to stock up on strength and patience. You should 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 currently exist, but doctors will be able to choose effective therapeutic programs aimed at developing muscle tone and relieving symptoms. Even if there is no positive dynamics, it is impossible to refuse treatment, because 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 infants who suspect muscle hypotension, massage is a must. It can be prescribed even when the results of studies are not yet known. After all, in any case, a course of therapeutic massage will not harm, but, on the contrary, will enhance motor activity and improve respiratory functions. Physical education and gymnastics, air baths and other procedures that are aimed at strengthening the shoulder girdle and back, and are effective for the overall he alth of the body, contribute to the healing process.
For older children, it is mandatory to develop fine motor skills through drawing, modeling, finger games, picking up puzzles. You should not wait for violations of the speech apparatus: if a child suffers from hypotonia from birth, classes with a speech therapist will go to himbenefit for preventive purposes. In the treatment of this disorder, a rational balanced diet, which should include all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and microelements, is of great importance. Taking special drugs is mandatory for muscle hypotension. Drugs of the neurometabolic group are prescribed based on the underlying pathology, its severity and prognosis.
If conservative treatment has not brought 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 electrical or pharmacological effects. With muscular hypotension, it is equally important to pay attention to maintaining or shaping the correct posture and gait.
Treatment will take a long time, no 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 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 the child to follow the instructions of the district pediatrician, undergo monthly examinations and prevent rickets.
It is important to understand that in most cases, muscle hypotonia occurs as a result of genetic and metabolic disorders, the development of which is almost impossible to foresee. Besidesdecreased muscle tone is a symptom of several dozen different diseases, and often doctors are not able to determine exactly what kind of ailment they are dealing with in a particular case.
Active rest and walks in the fresh air are of great importance. For the purpose of prevention, the child should be massaged regularly. You can master the technique of therapeutic massage in the clinic during one of the sessions. A pediatric physical therapist will walk you through the basics and show you how to do basic exercises at home.
