HERPES ZOSTER; CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM LESIONS SIMILAR TO THOSE OF EPIDEMIC ENCEPHALITIS

1926 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
W. Thalhimer
1927 ◽  
Vol 73 (303) ◽  
pp. 589-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Macnab Marshall

My view of the nature of this disease coincides with that of Dr. Mackenzie; The disease encephalitis lethargica may be defined as an infection the toxic products of which have an affinity for the grey matter of the central nervous system, and so give rise to any of the syndromes of disease of that tissue or to any combination of such syndromes, and which runs a fickle course that may end in recovery, death, or the production of characteristic sequeæ.


2012 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 504-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Antonio Moreira de Barros ◽  
Hélio Amante Miot ◽  
Ademir Massarico Braz ◽  
Flávia Ramos ◽  
Marcos Aristoteles Borges

Herpes zoster infection may cause postherpetic neuralgia, which is defined by prolonged pain predominantly mediated by central nervous system hypersensitivity. This phenomenon may be reversed by (S)-ketamine (SKET), but its use results in intolerable side effects, while its topical administration seems to be safe. It is a cross-over design study with 12 patients randomly divided into two groups. There was a significant effect of time on pain intensity, but no statistical difference in pain scores for SKET or placebo use in this sample in this treatment regimen. Only few mild cutaneous reactions were observed with topical SKET use.


2001 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 850-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Israel Steiner ◽  
Bettina Steiner-Birmanns ◽  
Netta Levin ◽  
Klila Hershko ◽  
Isabelle Korn-Lubetzki ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We prospectively evaluated herpes zoster patients during the acute phase of the disease for central nervous system involvement. Of 24 patients with spinal zoster, 13 (54%) had spinal cord abnormality, which was asymptomatic in 12 of the 13. Age but not lack of acyclovir treatment was associated with such involvement. In all but 2, neurological involvement resolved within 6 months. Although the mechanism responsible for the neurological abnormalities is unknown, findings may support the hypothesis that zoster is associated with spread of viral infection into the spinal cord and therefore support the possibility that zoster is due to active viral replication in the ganglion.


1930 ◽  
Vol 76 (313) ◽  
pp. 318-321
Author(s):  
J. S. Ian Skottowe

The object of this paper is to place on record some work which has been done during the past fourteen months in the laboratories of the Cardiff City Mental Hospital. This work, which is in the nature of animal inoculation experiments, was done with a view to detecting the presence of any filter-passing organisms which might be present in cases of schizophrenia. The justification for this line of research depends upon the suggestions that have been made by American and Continental writers that there are many striking points of resemblance between epidemic encephalitis and schizophrenia. In this country, Farran-Ridge has pointed out the striking similarity of the motor phenomena in certain cases of these two conditions. He draws attention particularly to fluctuation in body-weight, blepharoclonus, pruriginous phenomena, chewing movements, greasy face, respiratory disorders and choreiform manifestations. It has been suggested that these symptoms may be due to involvement of the basal ganglia. This being so, there is primâ facie evidence that some cases of both encephalitis and schizophrenia are the outward manifestations of similar disease-processes. In the case of encephalitise, vaditi, Loewe, Hirschfield and Straus and others have done work which suggests the existence of an ultra-virus of variable virulence which may exist in the saliva, the central nervous system, herpetic vesicles and elsewhere. If, therefore, these premises are correct, it would be valid to search for a similar virus in schizophrenia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 719-726
Author(s):  
Tobias Tyrberg ◽  
Staffan Nilsson ◽  
Kaj Blennow ◽  
Henrik Zetterberg ◽  
Anna Grahn

Abstract Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a common cause of viral central nervous system (CNS) infection, and patients may suffer from severe neurological sequelae. The biomarker neurofilament light chain (NFL) is used for assessment of neuronal damage and is normally measured in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Novel methods have given the possibility to measure NFL in serum instead, which could be a convenient tool to estimate severity of disease and prognosis in VZV CNS infections. Here, we investigate the correlation of serum and CSF NFL in patients with VZV CNS infection and the association of NFL levels in serum and CSF with different VZV CNS entities. NFL in serum and CSF was measured in 61 patients who were retrospectively identified with neurological symptoms and VZV DNA in CSF detected by PCR. Thirty-three herpes zoster patients and 40 healthy blood donors served as control groups. NFL levels in serum and CSF correlated strongly in the patients with VZV CNS infection. Encephalitis was associated with significantly higher levels of NFL in both serum and CSF compared with meningitis and Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Surprisingly, herpes zoster controls had very high serum NFL levels, comparable with those shown in encephalitis patients. We show that analysis of serum NFL can be used instead of CSF NFL for estimation of neuronal injury in patients with VZV CNS infection. However, high levels of serum NFL also in patients with herpes zoster, without signs of CNS involvement, may complicate the interpretation.


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