Severe Measles Encephalitis and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis in an Immunocompetent Japanese Young Male

Intern Med. 2021 Jun 15;60(12):1971-1976. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.5362-20. Epub 2021 Jan 15.

Abstract

Measles encephalitis rarely affects young adults and has no established treatment strategy. This brief report described the rare case of an immunocompetent 30-year-old man with severe measles pneumonia and encephalitis, following the autoimmune disease acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, during a large measles outbreak in 2018 in Japan. With multidisciplinary treatments, including corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulins, vitamin A, and therapeutic plasma exchange, the patient was successfully treated. This case provides a new strategy for treating measles encephalitis and its complications during measles outbreak.

Keywords: ADEM; encephalitis; measles; outbreak; therapeutic plasma exchange.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Encephalitis*
  • Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated* / diagnosis
  • Humans
  • Japan / epidemiology
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Measles* / complications
  • Measles* / diagnosis
  • Young Adult