Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of acute flaccid myelitis cases in children registered in the Russian Federation in 2015–2019

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Abstract

Acute flaccid myelitis is a syndrome characterized as the development of acute flaccid paralysis of one or more limbs due to lesions of the anterior horns of the spinal cord, which occurs against the background of a viral infection. More than 300 acute flaccid paralysis cases are registered in the Russian Federation annually, most of them are of a non-infectious etiology. In some cases, patients develop a complex of symptoms similar to poliomyelitis, but without isolation of polioviruses from stool samples. Clinical characteristics of such cases include acute onset, fever, persistent peripheral asymmetric paresis/paralysis of predominantly proximal parts of the limbs, and absence of pathological reflexes, pelvic disturbances, or pyramidal symptoms. In literature, such complex of symptoms is referred as acute flaccid myelitis. We provide an analysis of 18 cases of acute flaccid myelitis detected in the Russian Federation in the period from 2015 to 2019. A clear seasonality of the disease from July to November was noted. Studies of faecal samples, cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples did not reveal the pathogen. In all patients, regardless of therapy, there was a positive trend, but complete recovery was not achieved: paresis of varying severity persisted, mainly in the proximal extremities Therefore, acute flaccid myelitis cases as acute flaccid paralysis cases of unknown etiology require an additional observation and an expanded algorithm of laboratory investigation aimed to finding a possible pathogen.

About the authors

A. K. Shakaryan

Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-biological Products RAS (Institute of Poliomyelitis); Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University

Author for correspondence.
Email: armen2@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3417-3631

Armen Karenovich Shakaryan

Build. 1, Household 8, Settlement of the Institute of Poliomyelitis, Moskovskiy Settlement, Moscow 108819

1 Ostrovityanova St., Moscow 117997

Russian Federation

I. Kh. Belyaletdinova

Research Institute for Systems Biology and Medicine

Email: fake@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1630-5282

18 Nauchnyy Proezd, Moscow 117246

Russian Federation

S. V. Shakhgildyan

Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-biological Products RAS (Institute of Poliomyelitis); Infectious Clinical Hospital No. 1 of the Moscow Healthcare Department

Email: fake@neicon.ru

Build. 1, Household 8, Settlement of the Institute of Poliomyelitis, Moskovskiy Settlement, Moscow 108819

63 Volokolamskoe Shosse, Moscow 125367

Russian Federation

O. E. Ivanova

Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-biological Products RAS (Institute of Poliomyelitis); Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University)

Email: fake@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1784-4827

Build. 1, Household 8, Settlement of the Institute of Poliomyelitis, Moskovskiy Settlement, Moscow 108819

Build. 2, 8 Trubetskaya St., Moscow 119991

Russian Federation

T. P. Eremeeva

Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-biological Products RAS (Institute of Poliomyelitis)

Email: fake@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7116-872X

Build. 1, Household 8, Settlement of the Institute of Poliomyelitis, Moskovskiy Settlement, Moscow 108819

Russian Federation

A. P. Gmyl

Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-biological Products RAS (Institute of Poliomyelitis)

Email: fake@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1979-4141

Build. 1, Household 8, Settlement of the Institute of Poliomyelitis, Moskovskiy Settlement, Moscow 108819

Russian Federation

O. Yu. Baykova

Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-biological Products RAS (Institute of Poliomyelitis)

Email: fake@neicon.ru

Build. 1, Household 8, Settlement of the Institute of Poliomyelitis, Moskovskiy Settlement, Moscow 108819

Russian Federation

A. N.-I. Mustafina

Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-biological Products RAS (Institute of Poliomyelitis)

Email: fake@neicon.ru

Build. 1, Household 8, Settlement of the Institute of Poliomyelitis, Moskovskiy Settlement, Moscow 108819

Russian Federation

L. I. Kozlovskaya

Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-biological Products RAS (Institute of Poliomyelitis); Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University)

Email: fake@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3029-1035

Build. 1, Household 8, Settlement of the Institute of Poliomyelitis, Moskovskiy Settlement, Moscow 108819

Build. 2, 8 Trubetskaya St., Moscow 119991

Russian Federation

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Copyright (c) 2023 Shakaryan A.K., Belyaletdinova I.K., Shakhgildyan S.V., Ivanova O.E., Eremeeva T.P., Gmyl A.P., Baykova O.Y., Mustafina A.N., Kozlovskaya L.I.

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