Biomaterial Database

Measles encephalitis during immunosuppressive treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. 1993

I Hughes, and M E Jenney, and R W Newton, and D J Morris, and P E Klapper

Department of Neurology, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

Between 1971 and 1989 measles encephalitis was identified in five children receiving chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Review of these and previously reported cases of measles encephalitis in immunosuppressed patients failed to identify any pathognomonic features in the history, the clinical presentation, or the results of electroencephalography or computed tomography. Detection of measles virus antigen in nasopharyngeal secretions or intrathecal synthesis of specific antibody was not possible in all instances. Early diagnosis by direct detection of viral antigen in the brain was confounded by difficulties in identifying areas of the brain suitable for biopsy. Increasing herd immunity to measles in the general population by vaccination is the only effective intervention against measles encephalitis in immunosuppressed children. Measles encephalitis must be remembered as a possible explanation of encephalopathy in the immunocompromised child: the benefits of early use of antiviral agents need to be evaluated.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008457	Measles	A highly contagious infectious disease caused by MORBILLIVIRUS, common among children but also seen in the nonimmune of any age, in which the virus enters the respiratory tract via droplet nuclei and multiplies in the epithelial cells, spreading throughout the MONONUCLEAR PHAGOCYTE SYSTEM.	Rubeola
D001921	Brain	The part of CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM that is contained within the skull (CRANIUM). Arising from the NEURAL TUBE, the embryonic brain is comprised of three major parts including PROSENCEPHALON (the forebrain); MESENCEPHALON (the midbrain); and RHOMBENCEPHALON (the hindbrain). The developed brain consists of CEREBRUM; CEREBELLUM; and other structures in the BRAIN STEM.	Encephalon
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D004660	Encephalitis	Inflammation of the BRAIN due to infection, autoimmune processes, toxins, and other conditions. Viral infections (see ENCEPHALITIS, VIRAL) are a relatively frequent cause of this condition.	Inflammation, Brain,Rasmussen Syndrome,Brain Inflammation,Encephalitis, Rasmussen,Rasmussen Encephalitis,Rasmussen's Syndrome,Brain Inflammations
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013997	Time Factors	Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.	Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor
D016867	Immunocompromised Host	A human or animal whose immunologic mechanism is deficient because of an immunodeficiency disorder or other disease or as the result of the administration of immunosuppressive drugs or radiation.	Immunosuppressed Host,Immunocompromised Patient,Host, Immunocompromised,Host, Immunosuppressed,Hosts, Immunocompromised,Hosts, Immunosuppressed,Immunocompromised Hosts,Immunocompromised Patients,Immunosuppressed Hosts,Patient, Immunocompromised,Patients, Immunocompromised