Role of Methyl Prednisolone in Longitudinal Extensive Transverse Myelitis (LETM) in Children

• Published in: Pakistan journal of medical sciences Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 451 - 455
• Main Authors: Ashfaq, Muhammad Azeem, Javed, Iram, Arshad, Muhammad, Yaseen, Muhammad Rizwan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pakistan Knowledge Bylanes 30-04-2020; AsiaNet Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd; Professional Medical Publications
• Subjects: Age; Bladder; Central nervous system; Developing countries; Diseases; Females; Gender; Glucocorticoids; Illnesses; Immunoglobulins; Inflammatory diseases; LDCs; Magnetic resonance imaging; Original; Paralysis; Paraplegia; Patients; Prednisolone; Quadriplegia; Spinal cord; Vaccination; Variables; Ventilators; Efficacy; Methyl prednisolone; Longitudinal Extensive transverse myelitis
• ISSN: 1682-024X; 1681-715X
• DOI: 10.12669/pjms.36.3.1232

The role of methyl prednisolone in longitudinal extensive transverse myelitis in children is not completely discovered in developing country like Pakistan. So this is the first study which aimed to evaluate the efficacy of methyl prednisolone in longitudinal extensive transverse myelitis in children.
This is quasi experimental hospital based descriptive prospective study. The data was collected from 34 children admitted in Paediatric Neurology department through Outpatient/emergency department in Children's Hospital and the Institute of Child Health, Lahore for period of one year from January 2018 to December 2018. The children full filling the inclusion criteria were observed before and after giving injection methyl prednisolone 30mg/kg/dose (maximum dose one Gram irrespective of the body weight) once daily for five days in the form of intravenous infusion.
Complete recovery was seen in 41.2% while 58.8% showed partial recovery. The correlation of response to treatment (recovery) with gender, area of spinal cord involvement, muscle power and autonomic dysfunction is found at significance level of five percent according to Chi square test.
Early consideration and administration of methyl prednisolone in longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis in children can be beneficial and can help to reduce the morbidity.