What is flail arm syndrome

Flail arm syndrome is an extremely rare disease. Only a small number of people will suffer from this disease. There is no way to cure it. It can only relieve the symptoms, and no cause of the disease has been found yet. This is a relatively special type of disease. However, this disease develops relatively slowly. Many patients take a long time to show symptoms. Once symptoms are found, it means that the condition has worsened and special attention should be paid.

Flail arm is a motor neurone disease

A special type. There is currently no specific method to reverse motor neuron disease. A drug called Rilutai is the only drug that has been proven to slow the progression of ALS (a common type of motor neuron disease), but it is expensive. Flail arm is a slower-progressing, longer-surviving form of motor neurone disease. It is recommended to exercise properly and lose weight to slow the progression of the disease. There are many studies on motor neuron disease now, and there may be a breakthrough treatment soon.

Flail arm syndrome is a benign clinical variant of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is more common in males, with a slow onset and a long survival period. The main clinical features are symmetrical and significant proximal muscle weakness and atrophy of both upper limbs, while the lower limbs and bulbar function are less affected. Neurophysiological examination showed extensive neurogenic damage in more than three spinal cord segments. There is a lack of drug research for flail arm syndrome, and riluzole is the only drug approved for ALS.

1. General treatment

Supportive therapy: symptomatic treatment and appropriate exercise. For example, pay attention to the functions of the respiratory tract and digestive tract. If there is a lot of saliva, a small amount of antihistamine can be given; if there is a lot of sputum, nebulizer inhalation and expectorants can be given; if depression occurs, antidepressant treatment can be given. In addition, you should turn yourself over more often to prevent pressure sores. If eating disorders occur, nasogastric feeding or percutaneous gastrostomy (PEG) is given.

2. Special treatments

Currently, the only drug internationally recognized and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of ALS is Rilutek, and it must be used as early as possible.

3. Respiratory therapy

When breathing becomes difficult, ordinary oxygen or a bi-directional positive airway pressure (BiBAP) machine can be used to assist breathing. If further respiratory failure occurs, a tracheotomy and the use of an artificial ventilator are required.

4. Research progress

Currently, the international community is trying to use neurotrophic factors, antioxidants such as vitamin E, vitamin C, creatine, CoQ10, etc. in combination with Rilutai to provide protective treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, the above treatment has yet to be confirmed by clinical trials. In addition, scientists are also conducting experimental research on gene therapy for this disease.