Parkinsonism and neurological manifestations of influenza throughout the 20th and 21st centuries

[tetano]

Parkinsonism & Related Disoreder

Volume 16, Issue 9, Pages 566-571 (November 2010)

Parkinsonism and neurological manifestations of influenza throughout the 20th and 21st centuries☆

Julia Henrya, Richard J. Smeyneb, Haeman Jangb, Bayard Millerc, Michael S. OkundCorresponding Author Informationemail address

Received 29 April 2010; received in revised form 19 June 2010; accepted 20 June 2010.
Abstract
Purpose

Given the recent paper by Jang et al. on ?A Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza Virus? which reported a novel animal model of parkinsonism, we aimed to perform a complete historical review of the 20th and 21st century literature on parkinsonism and neurological manifestations of influenza.
Scope

There were at least twelve major flu pandemics reported in the literature in the 20th and 21st century. Neurological manifestations most prevalent during the pandemics included delirium, encephalitis, ocular abnormalities, amyotrophy, myelopathy, radiculopathy, ataxia and seizures. Very little parkinsonism was reported with the exception of the 1917 cases originally described by von Economo.
Conclusions

To date there have been surprisingly few cases of neurological issues inclusive of parkinsonism associated with influenza pandemics. Given the recent animal model of H5N1 influenza associated parkinsonism, the medical establishment should be prepared to evaluate for the re-emergence of parkinsonism during future outbreaks.

http://www.prd-journal.com/article/PIIS1353802010001446/abstract?rss=yes

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: Parkinsonism and neurological manifestations of influenza throughout the 20th and 21st centuries

Konstantin von Economo (http://www.uic.edu/depts/mcne/founders/page0028.html ) first described the clinical and pathological characteristics of the 1917-1925 encephalitis lethargica pandemic, sweeping into Europe and Northern America amidst the World War I.

He studied also the illness in animal model and discovered that a submicroscopic agent was responsible of monkey illness when caged near an infected animal.

The actual pathogen was however never identified with certainty.

The 1917-1925 pandemic was one of the worst happened in recent human history for this kind of illness, although some localized outbreaks was earlier detected in northern Italy (the so-called 'Nona', a sleepy form of encephalitis secondary to influenza infection), and was feared in 1976 during the Fort Dix influenza incident in the U.S.A.

Von Economo said that the causative agent (possibly a virus) disappeared after the big epidemic he described but humankind should have not to forget the threat because likely the pathogen was only smoldering, waiting for a new attack.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Parkinsonism and neurological manifestations of influenza throughout the 20th and 21st centuries

I'll put this article about MS here, since it is also a brain-damaging disease.
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Folia Neuropathol. 2004;42(1):19-23.

Association of influenza incidence with multiple sclerosis onset.Kaźmierski R, Wender M, Guzik P, Zielonka D.

Department of Neurology, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland. R.Kazmierski@am.poznan.pl

Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the environmental factors influencing the tangible changes in the incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) over a period of the past 30 years in the town Gniezno, Poland. We analysed many environmental factors to which the whole population was exposed in the respective period. The following factors were considered: viral infections (influenza, measles, varicella, rubella, mumps), atmospheric air pollution and climate conditions. A positive correlation has been found between the incidence of influenza and the incidence of MS in the same year (r = 0.37; p = 0.04) as well as with the MS incidence assessed after 5 years (r = 0.64; p = 0.0005). No significant correlation has been found between the incidence of MS and other investigated environmental factors. These results support the hypothesis that influenza infection could precipitate MS onset.

PMID: 15119741 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15119741