Parents Bring in a 5-Month-Old Who Suddenly Has Lost Developmental

Parents bring in a 5-month-old who suddenly has lost developmental ground and is no longer able to hold his head up or sit up. In taking the health history, they did note constipation a couple of days before. The EEG confirms a pattern consistent with botulism. After assuring them that with monitoring and support the child will survive, the parents become terribly concerned that the loss of development might be permanent. What can you tell them about their child's prognosis?

A) Elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure occurs in over half of the children, resulting in some permanent neurologic defects
B) Almost all of the children have some permanent neurologic defects
C) There is some permanent muscle weakness following recovery that, like polio, may worsen late in life
D) Neurological recovery, although slow, is expected to be complete in all children