Hypotonia

The term hypotonia ( hypotonic = with reduced power / voltage) is understood in the striated muscle in medicine is a lack of muscle strength and muscle tone ( low muscle tone). The opposite of hypotonia is muscle hypertension, ie an unusually high muscle tone ( spasm ).

A hypotonia makes during childhood for example, by noticeable that a child has to work while breastfeeding much, it is unusual little move and lift the head is not age-appropriate or may hold.

The hypotonia in infants is usually part of the so-called floppy infant syndrome (german floppy infant, " floppy baby "). Among the onset of symptoms triad of abnormal posture, reduced movements against resistance and abnormal joint mobility is understood.

Causes

Many possible causes for hypotonia being:

• Central causes: premature birth
• Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
• Hypoglycemia
• Sepsis
• Electrolyte shifts
• Drug- induced
• Inborn errors of metabolism
• Hypothyroidism
• Genetic disorders such as Down syndrome, Prader -Willi syndrome and Zellweger syndrome
• Malformations of the central nervous system
• Benign congenital hypotonia

• Spinal muscular atrophy, particularly spinal muscular atrophy type Werdnig -Hoffmann
• Myasthenia gravis
• Congenital muscular dystrophies
• Congenital myopathies
• Metabolic myopathies
• Peripheral neuropathies

Therapy

Hypotonia can be treated with physiotherapy, among others.