Another Case Of Physical Abuse In Childhood Between Age 7-11 And Alice In Wonderland-Like Seizures Retrospectively Described By A 45 Years-Old Man In Detail

Author(s):  
Stefan Bittmann

The phenomenon of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is not considered a disease in its own right but usually occurs as an accompanying symptom of a migraine attack or as a precursor of an epileptic seizure in the form of an aura with pronounced visual perceptual disturbances [1]. However, an Alice in Wonderland syndrome can also be caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, influenza virus [18], drugs [3] or encephalitis [2]. The term "Alice in Wonderland syndrome" was named after the children's book Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and coined by John Todd as a possible, but not essential, concomitant of migraine and epilepsy [1]. Carroll suffered from migraines himself; it is believed that his experiences with the condition served as inspiration for the hallucination-like effects described in his work [1]. In addition, Carroll's narrative has been discussed as a description of a trip following consumption of mind-altering drugs. In one of the most famous sequences in the book, Alice changes size by biting off pieces from different sides of a mushroom. However, there is no evidence of drug use by Lewis Carroll. Alice in Wonderland syndrome results in changes in the perception of one's surroundings [6,7]. These changes include both micropsia and macropsia (everything appears reduced or enlarged), as well as altered auditory perception, altered tactile perception, an altered sense of time. The syndrome is particularly common in children. Attacks are often shorter and may also be completely painless, although accompanying symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound is more pronounced. Neurological deficits may occur so that the affected child begins to hallucinate. He or she perceives his or her body as larger or smaller and/or begins to see "fantastic images“. The changes in perception can severely affect affected individuals, causing them to become disoriented and "unable to find their way around." In extreme cases, falls and other accidents may occur. The perceptual disturbances can lead to Alice in Wonderland syndrome being confused with other mental disorders or misinterpreted as "craziness". The primary focus is the treatment of the underlying condition, such as symptomatic treatment of migraine. Recent publications shed light on sexual abuse in childhood as the origin of AIWS-like visual disturbances [4,5].

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kossivi Apetse ◽  
Ludovic Breynaert ◽  
Chloe Butaud ◽  
Albert Beschet ◽  
Karine Blanc-Lasserre ◽  
...  

Some authors have suggested that the syndrome of transient headache and neurological deficits with cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis (HaNDL) results from an immunological response directed against a viral agent. Here we report a case of HaNDL in an immunocompetent 19-year-old male that could support this hypothesis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hüsnü Efendi ◽  
Rana Karabudak ◽  
Orhun Kantarci ◽  
Aksel Siva ◽  
◽  
...  

Epidemiological factors, such as vitamin D, Epstein–Barr virus, smoking and adolescent obesity, are associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility and may be involved in MS aetiology. There is also evidence of gene–environment interactions. Both validated predictive biomarkers and gene-expression data will play a crucial role in future diagnosis of MS and prognosis facilitating early treatment and improving management. Understanding the mode of action of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) should also enhance MS management by identifying the best treatment for different stages of the disease course. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a significant role in both diagnosis and monitoring of patients and is likely to become part of the daily MS practice using standardised protocols and software to increase reproducibility. A future goal of MS treatment is to facilitate neuron repair and remyelination. In this respect, animal models of remyelination could be useful in identifying potential therapies. Diagnosis of radiological syndrome is now simpler, but its management is controversial and it does not always convert to MS. In addition, treatment for progressive MS is problematic as current DMTs are indicated only for relapsingremitting MS. Symptomatic treatment is a neglected aspect of MS management, which is often the main concern of both patients and neurologists. Neurologists need to collaborate in trials and consider repurposed drugs that could provide treatment for these symptoms. The second MS Days meeting provided a valuable platform for these critical topics to be discussed and novel solutions to be considered.


Author(s):  
Jan Dirk Blom

The symptoms that are considered characteristic of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) are quite diverse and constitute distortions of regular sense perception (i.e., distortions of visual, somaesthetic, temporal, and self-perception). Although these symptoms are often of short duration, especially in children, extended episodes can occur. Many cases are benign and self-limiting, but symptoms of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome can occur in the context of Epstein-Barr virus encephalitis, cerebral lesion, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. Most of the symptoms characteristic of AIWS traditionally are attributed to central (as opposed to peripheral) nervous mechanisms. Epidemiological surveys and clinical prevalence studies of AIWS are lacking, but the syndrome is generally considered rare. Studies among clinical populations, however, indicate that its prevalence may well be underestimated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. e39653
Author(s):  
Íris Santos Silva ◽  
João Virtuoso ◽  
Joana Filipe Ribeiro ◽  
Glória Silva ◽  
Rita S. Oliveira

Aims: Lipschütz ulcer (LU), also known as acute vulvar ulcer, is a rare cause of vulvar ulcerations of nonvenereal origin. Our aim is to alert about this manifestation of the disease and to prevent unnecessary treatment.Case description: we present a 15 years old female, without relevant family and past history, admitted in the emergency room with a painful vulvar ulcer, preceded by five days of fever and sore throat. On physical examination, she had enlarged, and erythematous tonsils and bilateral anterior cervical lymphadenopathy and the genital examination revealed vulvar oedema and a deep ulcer with necrotic plaques in labium minus. The exclusion of transmitted sexual disease led to a diagnosis of Lipschütz ulcer. She started symptomatic treatment, oral antibiotic and corticoid therapy. She was discharged from the hospital after 6 days of admission and returned to a consult one month later when it was observed an almost complete resolution of the lesions. No recurrences occurred until 3 months.Conclusion: LU is a misdiagnosed pathology, probably because doctors, in general, are not familiarized with that, and since the diagnosis is made by exclusion. Infectious, such as Epstein-Barr Virus infections, are proposed etiologies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 164-167
Author(s):  
N. K. Bobrova ◽  
E. Yu. Zorkaltseva

Infectious mononucleosis (MI) is caused by the Herpes viridae family of viruses. Currently, most researchers assign a leading role to the Epstein-Barr virus. In present time there are no unified clinical classification of infection mononucleosis, but many authors recognize the visceral form which involves cardiovascular system, adrenal glands, lungs, central neural system and others organs. The article describes a clinical case of MI in the 28-year-old patient. She applied for medical help with complaints of fever up to 39 °C, weakness in the legs and arms, weight loss and received symptomatic treatment on an outpatient department. After 2 months on the background of deterioration, she was hospitalized in an infectious diseases hospital with severe symptoms of intoxication, lymphoproliferative syndrome, myocarditis, pericarditis, hepatitis, polyneuropathy with quadriparesis, hypochromic anemia, thrombocytopenia. She was consulted by an oncologist and diagnosed with cervical cancer. Laboratory confirmation was obtained – Epstein-Barr virus was detected in the blood. Against the background of antiviral therapy, a regression of clinical symptoms was achieved in a week. The patient was transferred to a oncological hospital. It is recommended to examine patients with high fever of unknown etiology on myocardial infarction for the timely appointed etiotropic therapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. e245059
Author(s):  
Timothy Philip Noonan ◽  
Konstantin N Konstantinov ◽  
Leonor Echevarria

We present a patient with systemic symptoms including 4 months of dyspnoea worsened with exertion, fatigue, rhinorrhoea, intermittent facial swelling, generalised lymphadenopathy and weight loss. Laboratory studies demonstrated proteinuria and eosinophilia. His serology was consistent with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) reactivation. A lymph node biopsy was consistent with EBV-associated reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. He was told to continue symptomatic treatment for EBV infection. After several admissions, vasculitis workup and myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA) studies were positive. Evolution of clinical symptoms, laboratory parameters and our literature review suggested the diagnosis of EBV-associated ANCA vasculitis. Steroids were started after the patient continued to deteriorate; the viral load started increasing, so we added valganciclovir with favourable clinical response and no relapse during the follow-up for 6 months. This suggests that with evidence of viraemia (primary or reactivation), antiviral treatment likely has clinical benefit while immunosuppression is being considered.


Author(s):  
B. G. Uzman ◽  
M. M. Kasac ◽  
H. Saito ◽  
A. Krishan

In conjunction with the cultivation and transplantation of cells from human tumors by the Programs of Microbiology and Immunogenetics, virus surveillance by electron microscopy has been routinely employed. Of particular interest in this regard have been 3 cell lines cultured from lymph nodes or spleen of 2 patients with Hodgkin's disease and 1 patient with Letterer-Siwe's disease. Each of these cell lines when transplanted in Syrian hamster neonates conditioned with anti-lymphocyte serum grew as serially transplantable tumors; from such transplants of the 3 cell lines cell cultures were retrieved.Herpes type virus particles (Figs. 1, 2, 3) were found in the primary cultures of all three lines, in frozen thawed aliquots of same, and in cultures retrieved from their tumors growing by serial transplantation in hamsters. No virus was detected in sections of 25 of the serially transplanted tumors. However, in 10 such tumors there were repeated instances of tubular arrays in the cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum (Fig. 4). On serologic examination the herpes virus was shown to be the Epstein-Barr virus.


Author(s):  
C. M. Payne ◽  
P. M. Tennican

In the normal peripheral circulation there exists a sub-population of lymphocytes which is ultrastructurally distinct. This lymphocyte is identified under the electron microscope by the presence of cytoplasmic microtubular-like inclusions called parallel tubular arrays (PTA) (Figure 1), and contains Fc-receptors for cytophilic antibody. In this study, lymphocytes containing PTA (PTA-lymphocytes) were quantitated from serial peripheral blood specimens obtained from two patients with Epstein -Barr Virus mononucleosis and two patients with cytomegalovirus mononucleosis. This data was then correlated with the clinical state of the patient.It was determined that both the percentage and absolute number of PTA- lymphocytes was highest during the acute phase of the illness. In follow-up specimens, three of the four patients' absolute lymphocyte count fell to within normal limits before the absolute PTA-lymphocyte count.In one patient who was followed for almost a year, the absolute PTA- lymphocyte count was consistently elevated (Figure 2). The estimation of absolute PTA-lymphocyte counts was determined to be valid after a morphometric analysis of the cellular areas occupied by PTA during the acute and convalescent phases of the disease revealed no statistical differences.


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