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Adult onset SSPE: experiences in West Yorkshire over a 12 month period

¹ Department of Neurology, St James’s Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK; ahamad@tiscali.co.uk
² Department of Neurology, Pinderfields Hospital, Aberford Road, Wakefield WF1 4DG, UK

Keywords: measles; subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare delayed complication of measles virus infection in infancy. It is characterised by behavioural changes, myoclonus, cognitive impairment, visual disturbance, pyramidal and extrapyramidal signs, and ultimately coma leading to death.¹ Typically, SSPE presents in childhood or early adolescence, but adult onset cases are recognised. Widespread measles immunisation in the UK has led to a dramatic fall in the incidence of SSPE in children, leading to the disease almost becoming extinct.² However, a latent disease pool remains and cases may still come to the attention of adult neurologists, as borne out by our recent experience in West Yorkshire.

Case histories
An 18 year old man gave a three week history of blinking episodes lasting approximately one second, associated with a brief head jerk. These were not present in sleep. Examination revealed myoclonic jerks involving the neck associated with blinking. Initial electroencephalograms (EEGs), blood tests, and a magnetic . . . [Full text of this article]