Measles is having a resurgence. Once among the most feared diseases of childhood, the development of safe and effective vaccines meant that a run-in with the illness no longer needed to be a rite of passage. But now, decreasing vaccination coverage has seen outbreaks springing up in countries that had previously eliminated the disease.
As well as the dangers that come with acute measles infection, which can even be fatal, people who recover from the disease can unknowingly store up health issues that only emerge years later. One of the most concerning is SSPE.
What is SSPE?
SSPE, or subacute sclerosing pan-encephalitis, is a thankfully rare complication that can follow infection with wild-type measles virus – that means the natural virus that circulates in the environment, not strains that are engineered for inclusion in vaccines. It’s a form of progressive encephalitis in which brain cells that were previously infected with measles virus are gradually destroyed.
The measles virus has what’s known as a dual tropism, meaning it can infect two different types of cells. In this case, those cell types are immune cells and epithelial cells, which are widespread throughout many parts of the body.
Most serious measles cases come down to the virus’s effect on the lungs, but the virus is also capable of infecting the brain. This can happen almost immediately, or in the few days to a month following the initial infection. Either way, it’s very dangerous and can cause death, permanent brain damage, or sensory loss.
But SSPE is different again. This condition typically starts to emerge around six to eight years after someone has recovered from measles. There may have been no signs that the brain was impacted at all.
What are the symptoms of SSPE?
The first stage of symptoms that may be noted generally includes personality changes and mood swings. There may also be fever and headache. The first symptoms can be subtle and hard to spot.
Then, up to six months later, you may begin to see movement problems, such as jerking and muscle spasms, as well as seizures and vision loss. This can also be the stage at which the onset of dementia begins to be seen.
Subsequently, the jerking movements give way to muscle rigidity. Vital brain functions such as breathing and blood pressure control begin to be affected. This leads to coma and eventually death. The whole progression typically lasts between one and three years.
“The person you knew transforms in front of you and wastes away and then they’re gone,” professor of immunology Dr Ross Kedl told Live Science.
Are there any treatments for SSPE?
This is no cure for SSPE. There’s some evidence that antiviral or immune-modulating drugs can help to slow the progression of the disease in some cases, but there’s a lack of long-term data or large clinical trials. In some people, the disease progresses much more rapidly, while others will survive for longer, but it’s almost invariably fatal.
SSPE is rare, with only about four to five cases seen in the US each year. However, pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr Adam Ratner recently told NPR that newer data is showing a more complete picture of the risk: “It turns out that in some age groups, especially in kids under about age 2, it’s much more common than we thought.”
And with measles becoming more prevalent, concerns have been raised that we could start seeing more SSPE cases in future.
The only way to reliably prevent that is to follow one simple instruction: vaccinate.
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.
Source Link: What Is SSPE? The Devastating Complication Of Measles That Hits Years Down The Road
