Zika is believed to be associated with an autoimmune disease similar to multiple sclerosis. It causes inflammation of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.
The list of neurological disorders induced by the Zika virus continues to grow. Brazilian doctors at a hospital in Recife have discovered that it can lead to an autoimmune disorder similar to multiple sclerosis. The patient’s immune system attacks the myelin sheaths that surround the neurons to protect them, which causes motor, sensory and cognitive disorders. They will present their work at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Vancouver next week.
These Brazilian doctors observed this manifestation in 6 patients hospitalized between December 2014 and June 2015 among more than 150 people treated. All presented symptoms of the infection (fever, rash, joint and muscle pain, conjunctivitis) and tested positive.
The neurological condition either appeared simultaneously with the symptoms of Zika fever or about two weeks after their admission to hospital. Among these 6 patients, 4 others developed Guillain-Barré syndrome. The other 2 presented with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. In these patients, scans revealed damage to the white matter. This rare post-infectious complication can appear as a result of infection with bacteria or viruses. It causes inflammation of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. It lasts a few months and can reappear.
Motor and visual disturbances
On discharge from hospital, 5 patients still presented with motor difficulties. One of them also suffered from impaired vision, while another had motor and thinking problems.
“At this time, it does not appear that the incidence of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is the same as Guillain-Barré syndrome, but these results suggest that clinicians should be aware that this disorder or d ‘other autoimmune pathologies attacking the central nervous system can appear,’ underlines Dr James Sejvar of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) in the United States, who did not participate in this work. Moreover, the question that persists is why the Zika virus exhibits this strong association with Guillain-Barré syndrome and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. A lot of work is in progress to answer it ”.
.
