Affiliations:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Adriana Lopez, Epidemiologist, Acute Flaccid Myelitis and Domestic Polio Epidemiology Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE; Mailstop H24-8 Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. Tel.: +1 4046398369; Fax: +1 4043153398; E-mail: alopez@cdc.gov.
Abstract: PURPOSE:Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), an uncommon but serious neurologic condition, primarily affects children, and can progress quickly to paralysis and respiratory failure. Data on long-term outcomes of patients with AFM are limited. This study reports on functional status through 12 months for AFM patients who became ill in 2018 in the United States. METHODS:Health departments collected information on outcomes at 6 and 12 months after onset of AFM using a standardized form that asked patients or their parents/guardians about functional status. Analyses were restricted to confirmed cases. RESULTS:Of the 238 confirmed AFM cases reported to CDC in 2018, 90 (38%) had assessments at 6 months, 82 (34%) at 12 months, and 49 (21%) at both 6 and 12 months. Among the 49 patients with data at both time points, the proportion of patients reporting significant or severe impairment at 6 months ranged from 2% to 59% depending on the outcome. Although proportions decreased by 12 months and ranged from 2% to 51%, most patients had some impairment at 12 months. No deaths were reported. CONCLUSION:Six- and 12-month outcomes in patients with onset of AFM in 2018 span a wide range of functionality, particularly of upper and lower extremities. Importantly, improvement appears to occur over time in some patients.
