Measles-induced encephalitis

Fisher, D.L.
Defres, S.
Solomon, T.

From the ¹Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, ²Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, ³Royal Liverpool University and Broadgreen NHS Trust, ⁴NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections and ⁵The Walton Centre Neurology NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, L9 7LJ UK

Address correspondence to D.L. Fisher, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Garrod Building, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK. email: [email protected]

Quarterly Journal of Medicine 108(3):p 177-182, March 2015. | DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcu113

Encephalitis is the most frequent neurological complication of measles virus infection. This review examines the pathophysiology of measles infection and the presentations, diagnosis and treatment of the four types of measles-induced encephalitis including primary measles encephalitis, acute post-measles encephalitis, measles inclusion body encephalitis and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. The early symptoms of encephalitis may be non-specific and can be mistakenly attributed to a systemic infection leading to a delay in diagnosis. This review provides a summary of the symptoms that should cause health care workers to suspect measles-induced encephalitis.