About subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

What is subacute sclerosing panencephalitis?

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). The disease may develop due to reactivation of the measles virus or an inappropriate immune response to the measles virus. SSPE usually develops 2 to 10 years after the original viral attack. Initial symptoms may include memory loss, irritability, seizures, involuntary muscle movements, and/or behavioral changes, leading to neurological deterioration.

What are the symptoms for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis?

Dementia symptom was found in the subacute sclerosing panencephalitis condition

If you develop SSPE, you may experience:

  • gradual changes in your behavior
  • unusual behavior
  • a decrease in your cognitive and social abilities
  • difficulty completing schoolwork or work
  • dementia
  • lethargy
  • Muscle spasms or jerking
  • tense or lax muscles
  • Weakness in both legs
  • an unsteady gait
  • seizures
  • a coma

If you’re experiencing seizures, you need to take precautions to avoid injuries that may occur during them.

What are the causes for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis?

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a progressive neurological condition marked by brain inflammation (encephalitis). The sickness may arise as a result of measles virus reactivation or an improper immune response to the measles virus. SSPE typically manifests itself between two and ten years after the first viral infection. Memory loss, impatience, seizures, involuntary muscle movements, and/or behavioral abnormalities may occur initially, leading to neurological degeneration.

1. A slow measles virus is thought to cause subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (paramyxovirus). Slow viruses can remain dormant in individuals for prolonged periods of time before becoming reactivated for unknown reasons. The effect of inheritance in making a person vulnerable to slow viruses is unclear.
2. SSPE symptoms, including brain inflammation (encephalitis) and loss of the fatty layer on nerve fibers (demyelination), can arise many years after the first disease due to virus reactivation.
3. It may also be linked to ineffective immune response to the rubeola virus (measles). Affected individuals typically have a measles infection 2 to 10 years prior to the beginning of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.
4. Some occurrences of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis have been linked to animal contact in the medical literature. These people had interaction with pets including monkeys, dogs, or kittens that died from the same sickness.

Symptoms
Behavioral changes,Involuntary muscle movements,Dementia,Neurological deterioration
Conditions
Blindness,Muscle rigidity,Hyperthermia
Drugs
Inosine pranobex,Interferon alfa,Ribavirin,Lamivudine

What are the treatments for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis?

No cure is available for SSPE. However, your doctor can prescribe some antiviral drugs that may slow the progression of your condition. They may also prescribe anticonvulsant drugs to control seizures. According to NINDS, most people with SSPE die within one to three years. In some cases, they live longer.

What are the risk factors for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis?

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is an uncommon type of chronic, progressive brain inflammation induced by a gradual infection with particular faulty strains of hypermutated measles virus.

1. The disease primarily affects children, adolescents, and young adults.
2. It is predicted that approximately 2 in 10,000 people who contract measles will develop SSPE.
3. However, according to a 2016 study, the proportion of unvaccinated newborns under the age of 15 months could be as high as 1 in 609. There is no cure for SSPE, and the syndrome is usually always deadly. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which is also caused by the measles virus but has totally different timing and duration, should not be confused with SSPE.
4. With the widespread use of the measles vaccine, the occurrence of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis has decreased dramatically, though approximately 10 cases are reported each year.
5. This disorder, however, is much more common in less developed regions of the world. In India, for example, the prevalence is thought to be around 20 cases per million people per year.
6. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis appears to affect men more frequently than women, and it affects children and adolescents far more frequently than adults.

Symptoms
Behavioral changes,Involuntary muscle movements,Dementia,Neurological deterioration
Conditions
Blindness,Muscle rigidity,Hyperthermia
Drugs
Inosine pranobex,Interferon alfa,Ribavirin,Lamivudine

Is there a cure/medications for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis?

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is an uncommon type of chronic, progressive brain inflammation induced by a gradual infection with particular faulty strains of hypermutated measles virus. The disease primarily affects children, adolescents, and young adults. It is predicted that approximately 2 in 10,000 people who contract measles will develop SSPE. However, according to a 2016 study, the proportion of unvaccinated newborns under the age of 15 months could be as high as 1 in 609. There is no cure for SSPE, and the syndrome is usually always deadly. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which is also caused by the measles virus but has totally different timing and duration, should not be confused with SSPE.

Treatment
1. There is currently no cure for SSPE.
2. Targeted therapy of antiviral (isoprinosine and ribavirin) and immunomodulatory (interferon alpha) drugs have shown that these types of therapies, when used alone or in combination, can halt disease progression and prolong life, but their long-term effects on individuals and eventual outcome are unknown.
3. The most critical part of SSPE treatment is good nursing care, along with anticonvulsant and antispasmodic medicines as needed.
4. If the diagnosis is made during stage 1, treatment with oral isoprinosine (Inosiplex) and intraventricular interferon alfa may be possible; however, the response to these medications varies from patient to patient, and the only acknowledged treatments are supportive measures such as anticonvulsants. Once stage 2 begins, the condition is unavoidably lethal.

Symptoms
Behavioral changes,Involuntary muscle movements,Dementia,Neurological deterioration
Conditions
Blindness,Muscle rigidity,Hyperthermia
Drugs
Inosine pranobex,Interferon alfa,Ribavirin,Lamivudine

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