Hypotonia
What is it?
Hypotonia is a condition in infants marked by a
lack of muscle tone, which makes the baby appear
“floppy.”
Who gets it?
Infants born with genetic, muscle, or central
nervous system disorders generally have hypotonia.
What causes it?
Some common causes of hypotonia are Down
syndrome, myasthenia gravis, myotonic dystrophy,
muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy type
1, metachromatic leukodystrophy, Prader-Willi
syndrome, congenital cerebellar ataxia, congenital
hypothyroidism, Tay-Sachs disease, Werdnig-Hoffman,
Riley-Day syndrome, Marfan’s syndrome,
achondroplasia, trisomy 13, sepsis, Aicardi
syndrome, Canavan disease, hypervitaminosis D,
Krabbe disease, Kernicterus, Menke’s syndrome,
methylmalonic acidemia, rickets, infant botulism,
and a vaccine reaction.
What are the symptoms?
Infants who are hypotonic will let their elbows
and knees hang loosely instead of flexed as
normal. The infant may have poor or no head
control.
How is it diagnosed?
Your doctor will perform a complete physical
examination and take your family history and your
child’s medical history. Because hypotonia is a
symptom of some underlying disorder, your doctor
will make a diagnosis based upon the observation
of and diagnostic tests for each symptom. Specific
diagnostic tests will depend upon the disorder
your doctor suspects is causing the hypotonia.
What is the treatment?
Your child’s treatment will depend upon the
cause of the hypotonia. Genetic, muscle, or
central nervous system disorders are treated by
team of specialists dedicated to those disorders.
Self-care tips
If your child is hypotonic, follow your
doctor’s orders for treatment of the underlying
cause. Be careful when lifting your baby. If
lifted under the armpits, the hypotonic infant’s
arms will raise with no resistance and slip
between the hands. Contact your doctor immediately
if your child had seemingly normal muscle control,
but begins to appear “floppy.”
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
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