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Abstract: This is a case of a 2-year-old girl who was diagnosed with poliomyelitis abroad a short time ago and was not treated at that time because she only had fever and sore throat. Now, shortly after her return to China, the child had symptoms of cold and runny nose again in the past 2 days, and was more mentally weak and unsteady in walking. The family was afraid that it was a sign of paralysis, so they came to the clinic. After routine blood tests and a detailed physical examination, she was diagnosed with mild poliomyelitis and was advised to rest at home and to follow up with the clinic after 1 week of observation.
Basic information】Female, 2 years old
Type of disease】Mild poliomyelitis (non-paralytic type)
Hospital】Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital
Date of Consultation】September 2021
Treatment plan] Home rest and observation of recovery
Treatment Period】One week of home observation, one week of outpatient follow-up
Effectiveness】Cold and runny nose improved, mental energy normal
I. Initial consultation
A mother came to the clinic with her child, complaining that the child had symptoms of cold and runny nose for the past two days, and was mentally weak and inactive, feeling weak in walking and running. She was diagnosed with poliomyelitis after a serum-specific antibody test conducted by a foreign doctor not long ago. However, in the past two days, the child came to the clinic with a relatively weak spirit and a feeling of weakness in walking and running, so he was given a specific physical examination. After careful physical examination, including neurological examination, superficial reflexes, deep reflexes and muscle strength and tone examination were all normal. There was no significant abnormality when the child was allowed to run and jump a little.
II. Treatment
After a series of tests, we considered that the child was probably fatigued and did not want to move, and there were no significant abnormalities in the blood tests, except for a mild decrease in the average platelet volume and average hemoglobin volume. The child’s mother was instructed to rest at home, drink plenty of fluids, observe the recovery of the disease, and return to the doctor after 1 week of home observation.
Treatment effect
The child took a complete rest at home for one week as prescribed by the doctor, and came to the clinic for a follow-up appointment one week later. The child’s mother said that the child’s temperature was normal throughout the illness, and the sneezing and runny nose had improved. The child’s mental outlook has improved, his appetite has increased, and the quality of sleep at night has improved a lot.
IV. Notes
We are glad that the child’s condition has been effectively relieved through sufficient rest and self-conditioning. Although the child has recovered, parents still need to be more vigilant in daily life because there is a certain chance that any viral infection will invade the nervous system. If you find that your child has numbness in the limbs, slurred speech, or hemiplegia in walking, you should consult a pediatric neurologist promptly.
It is also recommended that parents should supervise their children to do a good job of personal protection, strengthen hand hygiene, and keep the environment ventilated and clean. It is also recommended that children participate in more sports to strengthen their own immunity and reduce the occurrence of diseases.
V. Personal insight
With the popularization of polio vaccine in China, polio has basically disappeared. Only in rare cases, especially in children with autoimmune deficiencies, may there be a risk of infection. If infected with a mild form of polio, as in this case, the condition usually resolves well with adequate rest and self-repair. And the following insights emerge from this case.
1, polio vaccine is very effective against polio umbrella, to be timely and on time vaccination.
2, the incidence of polio in China is low, but there are other viral infections, so it is necessary to always pay attention to all aspects of the child’s symptoms, especially neurological performance, and to carry out treatment in a timely manner so as not to delay the disease.
3, for seasonal infectious diseases, prevention is of greater significance. usually have to do a good job of personal protection, to avoid all kinds of contact infectious diseases
4, usually to give children appropriate physical exercise to enhance physical fitness and improve the ability to resist disease in order to reduce the occurrence of disease.