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-20-87-a 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-20-11-8 Infectious Disorders Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant Age-Related Differences in Clinical Features of Neurocysticercosis 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 11 2006 01 02 2016 20 11 87 87 Copyright: © 2006 The Author(s) 2006 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. Neurocysticercosis: clinical, radiologic, and inflammatory differences between children and adults

Clinical, radiologic, and inflammatory features of neurocysticercosis (NC) in 92 pediatric (<15 years) and 114 adult Mexican patients were compared in a study at three hospitals in Mexico City.

 Neurocysticercosis Meningitis Transverse Myelitis

Clinical, radiologic, and inflammatory features of neurocysticercosis (NC) in 92 pediatric (<15 years) and 114 adult Mexican patients were compared in a study at three hospitals in Mexico City. Diagnosis was based on CT and/or MRI, before treatment. Ages of pediatric patients ranged from 11 months to 14 years. Symptoms in order of frequency in both age groups were seizure, headache, intracranial hypertension (ICH), and focal deficits. Seizures were more frequent in children (80.4% vs 56.1%; p<0.0001), and headache and ICH were more frequent in adults (35.1% vs 21.7%; p=0.04). The cause of ICH differed in the two groups: in children, an increased inflammatory response to subarachnoid parasites, and in adults, obstruction of CSF circulation by cysticerci in basal cisterns or ventricles. Colloidal parenchymal cysts were single in children with seizures, and multiple in adults. The number, location, and stage of parasites differed between the 2 age populations: a single colloidal or calcified parenchymal parasite was most frequent in children, and multiple parasites in basal cisterns or ventricles were most frequent in adults. CSF inflammatory response was significantly greater in adults than in children (p=0.02). [1]

COMMENT. Neurocysticercosis in Mexican children presents with a single degenerating parasite located in the parenchyma, while multiple viable parasites located in basal cisterns or ventricles are more common in adult patients.

Cysts of Taenia solium in the CNS (neurocysticercosis) are a leading cause of epilepsy in some countries. The host reaction to degenerating cysts in the brain may cause, in addition to seizures, meningitis, obstructive hydrocephalus, and behavioral disorders. Cysts in the spinal column can cause gait disturbance, pain, or transverse myelitis. Subcutaneous cysts appear as nodules, and ocular cysts cause visual impairment. Ocular and spinal cysts generally are not treated with anthelmintic drugs, which will exacerbate inflammation. Ophthalmic examination to rule out ocular cysts is recommended before beginning treatment with albendazole. (AAP. Red Book: 2006 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. 27th ed;644-646).

Sáenz B Ruíz-Garcia M Jiménez E Hernández-Aguilar J Suastegui R Larralde C Neurocysticercosis: clinical, radiologic, and inflammatory differences between children and adults Pediatr Infect Dis J 2006 Sep 25 9 801 803 10.1097/01.inf.0000233548.81204.97 16940837