The symptoms of hemiplegia in children need to be understood from three types

Hemiplegia in children is currently the type of disease that poses the greatest threat to the health of infants and young children in clinical practice. Generally speaking, when parents discover that their children have symptoms of hemiplegia, they need to take measures to treat them as soon as possible. So, what are the symptoms of hemiplegia in children?

Spastic hemiplegia

The most common type is single-side limb involvement, with the upper limbs being more severe than the lower limbs, the distal end being more severe than the proximal end, and the face often not being affected. Most children do not show obvious symptoms until after 3 months, which are manifested as less movement of the affected limb, persistent fist clenching, persistence of the grip reflex, flexed and pronated forearm posture, and circular gait. In some patients, the affected limbs may initially show hypotonia, which later turns into spasticity. This type is often accompanied by mental retardation and epilepsy. Epileptic seizures may occur as partial or secondarily generalized seizures. Strabismus is common.

Spastic diplegia

The most prominent manifestation is increased muscle tension in both lower limbs. This type is more common in premature infants. Children often show hypotonia in both lower limbs within 1-3 months. This is followed by the so-called dystonia stage, in which the child's lower limbs will rigidly straighten and cross in a scissor-like motion when the child stands with the soles of the feet touching the examination table. Finally, the patient enters the spastic stage, with flexion of the hip and knee joints, internal rotation of the lower limbs, and a scissors gait. In severe cases, the patient cannot walk independently. The upper limbs are less affected, often manifested as abnormal upper limb posture when walking, but the hand function is not obviously affected. This type of combined epilepsy is less common, accounting for about 1/5. About 2/3 of patients have normal or borderline intelligence. Strabismus is common.

Spastic quadriplegia

It is more common in children with severe suffocation. The muscle tone of the limbs is increased, often in the form of opisthotonos. It may be accompanied by supranuclear palsy, manifesting as swallowing and dysarthria. About half of the children suffer from epilepsy and mental retardation.