Polyneuropathy in children
Children are less at risk of getting any of the types of polyneuropathy than adults, due to the fact that the causes of these diseases are not so pronounced in children. However, young age does not save children from this unpleasant disease, including hereditary polyneuropathy. For all polyneuropathies, regardless of the cause of their occurrence, the feeling of "chills" and numbness are the most common symptoms.
Hereditary polyneuropathy
Hereditary polyneuropathy differs from other types of the disease in that irreversible disorders and consequences prevail over those disorders that can be restored with the right treatment method. In recent decades, thanks to the continuous development of medicine, it has been possible to find out not only those genes whose mutation leads to disease, but also the fact that different types of mutations in the same gene lead to different types of hereditary polyneuropathies.
Symptoms of hereditary polyneuropathy in 75% of cases appear in the first ten years of life, in another 10% of cases, symptoms are found at the age of 10 - 20 years, and other types of polyneuropathy in children most often appear after 10 years. Usually, the later the disease manifests itself, the more favorable it is, but hereditary polyneuropathy very rarely remains asymptomatic after 30 years, it can simply be accompanied by only mild symptoms.
The main symptoms that indicate the manifestation of the disease: the child complains of painful spasms in the muscles of the lower leg, which are significantly increased after a long walk, difficulty climbing stairs and running, a feeling of weakness in the feet, the appearance of ulcers on the feet, changes in gait may occur, a slow deformation begins Stop. Sometimes it becomes noticeable that the child begins to walk on tiptoe. Problems with the muscles of the hands begin, for example, the child is not able to button the buttons.
Polyneuropathy syndrome
Polyneuropathy syndrome can be characterized by the main features. In the process of deformation, the feet are mainly subjected to undesirable changes to the toes, acquiring the shape of a "hammer", which significantly complicates the choice of suitable shoes. Due to the fact that there is a weakening and atrophy of the muscles of the lower extremities, the lower 1/3 of the thigh and lower leg takes the shape of a bottle over time. This disease can also be accompanied by severe coordination disorder and optic nerve atrophy.
As statistics show, hereditary polyneuropathy in most cases begins to manifest itself only from the lower extremities, the hands are usually involved in the disease not earlier than 10 years after the very first symptoms of the disease syndrome appear. As in most other types of polyneuropathies, the symptoms in the hereditary form manifest themselves symmetrically. Unlike other types of polyneuropathies, the loss of sensation is often much less significant.
The disease most often develops rather slowly, so many children quickly adapt to various defects and even with a long-term course of the disease, the possibility of independent movement is usually preserved, but there are exceptions to the rules. Today, alas, there has still not been a decisive breakthrough in the treatment of dangerous hereditary polyneuropathy; the treatment is still symptomatic and practically similar to the treatment of other types of polyneuropathies in children.
One of the main roles in the treatment of polyneuropathies in children is played by a special therapeutic massage, thanks to which it is possible to maintain long-term mobility in the joints and the ability to move independently. With this treatment of children, the prevention of the development of contracture of the Achilles tendon also plays an important role. In the case of hereditary polyneuropathy in children, it is worth thinking about the correct vocational guidance, in case hand movement disorders appear with the course of the disease.
The key to the rapid recovery of all damaged functions in children with any type of polyneuropathy is timely diagnosis and the appointment of the correct, and most importantly, appropriate for each specific case, treatment. If the child is sick with non-hereditary polyneuropathy, then one of the important requirements in treatment will be the fight against the underlying disease or adverse factors that caused the development of the disease.
Thanks to the advances in medicine, many medicines have been produced, the purpose of which is to effectively treat dangerous polyneuropathy or maintain a stable state of patients, however, in the case of a child's illness, there is a certain risk when choosing a drug component of therapy, due to the fact that there is no sufficiently large experience in using these drugs. in this age group.
Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist
Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".
