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Hypotonia involves decreased muscle tone. Infants with hypotonia seem floppy and feel like a rag doll does when held. Alternative Names:Floppy; Decreased muscle tone; Hypotonic infant Hypotonia is often a sign of a worrisome abnormality and may suggest the presence of central nervous system dysfunction, genetic disorders, or muscle disorders. Hypotonic infants rest with their elbows and knees loosely extended, while infants with normal tone tend to have flexed elbows and knees. Head control may be poor or absent in the floppy infant with the head falling to the side, backward, or forward. Infants with normal tone can be lifted with the parent's hands placed under the armpits, while hypotonic infants tend to slip between the hands as the infant's arms rise unresistingly upward. Common Causes of HypotoniaDown syndrome
myasthenia gravis
Prader-Willi syndrome
Kernicterus
cerebellar ataxia, congenital
Werdnig- Hoffman
myotonic dystrophy
infant botulism
familial dysautonomia (Riley-Day syndrome)
Marfan's syndrome
muscular dystrophy
achondroplasia
trisomy 13
sepsis
Aicardi syndrome
Canavan disease
congenital hypothyroidism
hypervitaminosis D
Krabbe disease
Menkes syndrome
metachromatic leukodystrophy
methylmalonic acidemia
rickets
spinal muscular atrophy type 1
Tay-Sachs disease
vaccine reaction Home Care to Hypotonia Extra care must be taken when lifting and carrying a hypotonic infant to avoid causing an injury to the child. 2011-12-25
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