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Podcast

Episode 14: What Providers Should Know About Acute Flaccid Myelitis, a Mysterious Neurologic Disease

Acute flaccid myelitis is a rare disease that can cause severe weakness or paralysis, slurred speech, and facial droop, among other complications. And more than 90% of cases involve children. In this episode, Olwen Murphy, MB, BCH, MRCP, discusses what medical scientists know – and don’t know – about this perplexing neurologic illness.

Show Notes

In recent years, many researchers have turned their attention to acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a rare disease that causes serious neurologic problems. AFM, which mostly affects children, has been described as “polio-like.” Symptoms can range from slurred speech to paralysis, and in extreme cases, patients require hospitalization lasting weeks or months. In this episode, Olwen Murphy, MB, BCH, MRCP, a James T. Lubin Fellow at The Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center, discusses AFM and how healthcare providers can improve patient outcomes.