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Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis - Symptom

Alternative Names

SSPE; Subacute sclerosing leukoencephalitis; Dawson´s encephalitis

Symptoms:

  • Bizarre behavior
  • Dementia (loss of cognitive (thought), emotional, and social abilities)
  • Coma
  • Gradual behavioral changes
  • Myoclonic jerking (quick muscle jerking or spasms)
  • School problems
  • Seizures
  • Unsteady gait
  • Very tense muscles or muscles that lack tone, with weakness in both legs

Signs and tests:

There may be a history of measles in an unvaccinated child. A physical examination may reveal:

  • Damage to the optic nerve, which is responsible for sight
  • Damage to the retina, the part of the eye that receives light
  • Muscle twitching
  • Poor performance on motor (movement) coordination tests

The following tests may be performed:

  • Reviewed last on: 8/24/2008
  • Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Maldonado YA. Rubeola virus (measles and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis). In: Long SS, Pickering LK, Prober CG, eds. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2003:chap 227.

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