1043-3155 Pediatr Neurol Briefs pedneurbriefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs Pediatric Neurology Briefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs 2166-6482 1043-3155 2166-3155 Pediatric Neurology Briefs Publishers Chicago, IL, USA PNB-13-11-a 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-13-2-3 Infectious Disorders Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant SSPE and Neonatal Measles http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-7931 Millichap J. Gordon MD 1 2 * Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, E-mail: jgmillichap@northwestern.edu 02 1999 01 05 2016 13 2 11 11 Copyright: © 1999 The Author(s) 1999 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. SSPE following neonatal measles infection

A case of subacute sclerosing encephalitis in a child, aged 3 years 6 months, who had contracted measles from his mother on day 27 as a neonate, is reported from Akita University School of Medicine, Japan.

 Sclerosing Encephalitis Cerebellar Ataxia Mental Deterioration

A case of subacute sclerosing encephalitis in a child, aged 3 years 6 months, who had contracted measles from his mother on day 27 as a neonate, is reported from Akita University School of Medicine, Japan. He presented with acute cerebellar ataxia which gradually improved, but mental deterioration and head nodding developed. The EEG showed diffuse slowing and periodic discharges that synchronized with the nodding. Measles antibody titers in the CSF and serum were abnormally elevated. MRI showed diffuse high intensity T2-weighted images in the white matter. Treatment with oral isoprinosine and intraventricular interferon failed to stem the relentless progression to a bedridden, mute stage within 3 months. This was followed by a plateau and later, a gradual but limited clinical improvement and MRI evidence of progressive cerebral atrophy. [1]

COMMENT. Measles virus infection under 1 year of age is a risk factor of SSPE. Immaturity of the brain at the time of measles infection may predispose to the SSPE.

Sawaishi Y Abe T Yano T Ishikawa K Takada G SSPE following neonatal measles infection Pediatr Neurol 1999 Jan 20 1 63 5 10.1016/S0887-8994(98)00100-3 10029264