About the cause of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

Most patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis are children and adolescents. It is a very rare disease with unique characteristics. The onset is hidden, so it is difficult to detect. So, what is the cause of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis? How should we correctly treat this disease? Let me explain it to you in detail below.

It is now generally believed that this disease is a chronic infection of measles virus, and whether the measles virus will become a defective type and continue to infect the body is related to the body's immune regulation function defects.

The study found that the titer of anti-measles virus antibodies in the patient's serum and cerebrospinal fluid was increased, measles virus antigens were present in the cerebral cortex, and electron microscopy of brain biopsy revealed intracellular inclusion bodies and accumulation of dense measles virus-like particles. When the patient's brain tissue was co-cultured with non-neuronal cells, about half of them could obtain the virus, and the patient's brain tissue was inoculated into animals, which could successfully infect the animals. All of the above support that this disease is related to measles virus infection, and the onset may be related to the characteristics of the virus and the host's immune status.

The disease has an insidious onset, develops slowly, and is without fever. It can be roughly divided into four stages according to the evolution of the disease: the first stage is the behavioral and mental disorder stage, with forgetfulness, decreased academic performance, emotional instability, personality changes and abnormal behavior as the main manifestations. This stage lasts about several weeks to several months. The second stage is the movement disorder stage, which is mainly manifested by severe progressive mental retardation accompanied by widespread myoclonus, ataxia, epileptic seizures and visual impairment caused by progressive chorioretinitis, which lasts about 1 to 3 months. The third stage is coma and opisthotonos, with limb muscle rigidity, hyperreflexia, positive Babinski sign, decorticate or decerebrate rigidity, opisthotonos, and finally progressive coma, often accompanied by autonomic dysfunction, which can last for several months. Stage 4 is the terminal stage, with complete loss of cerebral cortical function, floating eyeballs, low muscle tone, and disappearance of myoclonus. The patient eventually dies from combined infection or circulatory failure. The total course of the disease is usually 1 to 3 years, with about 10% of patients dying within 3 months and surviving for more than 4 years.

Through the above introduction, I believe that everyone has a certain understanding of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. In general, if this disease is prevented in advance, the incidence rate will be greatly reduced. Measles vaccination is a relatively effective modern response method. Protecting newborns and effective treatment in the early stages of the disease can effectively curb this disease. With today's advanced technology and medical care, all you need to do is pay more attention to it.