acute flaccid myelitis

noun

: 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 AFM

Examples of acute flaccid myelitis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This time, doctors diagnosed her with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM,) which the CDC says is a serious neurological condition that causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak. —Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023

The Albany 15-year-old has acute flaccid myelitis, a rare but serious neurological condition that has immobilized all but her left hand and feet. —Andrew Saylor, oregonlive, 24 July 2023

One enterovirus, called EV-D68, is associated with a polio-like neurologic condition called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in young children, and health officials are bracing for a subsequent uptick in AFM cases. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 24 Oct. 2022

The rise might be more specifically attributed to enterovirus D68, which, in rare cases, can lead to acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. —Carma Hassan, CNN, 27 Sep. 2022

The case was first thought to be acute flaccid myelitis, a condition that can mimic polio, and is likely caused by a different virus. —Erika Edwards, NBC News, 16 Aug. 2022

Of gravest concern was the threat of potential acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a rare condition associated with EV-D68 that affects the central nervous system predominantly in children, causing muscles and reflexes to become weak and potentially leading to paralysis. —ABC News, 4 Jan. 2023

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert warning physicians to prepare for an increase of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), which has been linked to a rare but serious condition called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. —Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2022

Another possible cause of acute flaccid myelitis and paralysis can be polio. —Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

2014, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

acute flaccid myelitis

noun

: 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 (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.

—abbreviation AFM