Central nervous system viral disease
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Central nervous system viral disease | |
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Specialty | Neurology/infectious disease |
The central nervous system (CNS) controls most of the functions of the body and mind. It comprises the brain, spinal cord and the nerve fibers that branch off to all parts of the body. The CNS viral diseases are caused by viruses that attack the CNS. Existing and emerging viral CNS infections are major sources of human morbidity and mortality.
Virus infections usually begin in the peripheral tissues, and can invade the mammalian system by spreading into the peripheral nervous system and more rarely the CNS. CNS is protected by effective immune responses and multi-layer barriers, but some viruses enter with high-efficiency through the bloodstream and some by directly infecting the nerves that innervate the tissues.[1]
Most viruses that enter can be opportunistic and accidental pathogens, but some like
Types
- Most forms of aseptic meningitis are viral in origin, though neoplastic and Lyme disease meningitis are also aseptic.
- California encephalitis virus
- Central nervous system viral disease
- Cytomegalovirus encephalitis
- SARS-CoV-2
- Eastern equine encephalitis
- Enterovirus encephalitis
- Epstein Barr Virusencephalitis
- Herpes simplex encephalitis
- Influenza encephalitis
- Japanese encephalitis
- La Crosse encephalitis
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis by Arenavirus
- Measles encephalitis
- Mumps
- Nipah virus encephalitis[2]
- Poliomyelitis
- Progressive rubella panencephalitis, a late complication of congenital rubella syndrome
- St. Louis encephalitis
- Slow virus infections, which include:
- Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS)
- Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis by Measles virus
- Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
- Rabies
- Tick-borne encephalitis
- Varicella
- Viral encephalitis lists 37 causes
- Viral meningitis
- Western equine encephalitis
Symptoms
Characteristics of a viral infection can include
Diagnosis
Classification
- Acute - the most common diseases caused by acute viral infections are encephalitis, flaccid paralysis, aseptic meningitis, post infectious and encephalomyelitis.
- Chronic - the most common diseases caused by chronic viral infections are subacute-sclerosing panencephalitis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, retrovirus disease and spongiform encephalopathies.
Prevention
Prophylactic
Treatment
Treatments of proven efficacy are currently limited mostly to herpes viruses and
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection (HIV) is treated by using a combination of medications to fight against the HIV infection in the body. This is called
New therapies
Development of new therapies has been hindered by the lack of appropriate animal model systems for some important viruses and also because of the difficulty in conducting human clinical trials for diseases that are rare. Nonetheless, numerous innovative approaches to antiviral therapy are available including candidate thiazolide and purazinecarboxamide derivatives with potential broad-spectrum antiviral efficacy. New herpes virus drugs include viral helicase-primase and terminase inhibitors. A promising new area of research involves therapies based on enhanced understanding of host antiviral immune responses.[4]
Epidemiology
Many viral infections of the central nervous system occur in seasonal peaks or as
Children
Risks for other diseases
A study using electronic health records indicates that 45 (with 22 of these being replicated with the UK Biobank and not all of them necessarily central nervous system viral diseases) viral exposures can significantly elevate risks of neurodegenerative disease, including up to 15 years after infection.[7][additional citation(s) needed]
See also
- List of central nervous system infections
- Aging brain § Immune system and fluids
References
- ^ "Neurological Infections". University of Maryland Medical Center. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
- ^ "Signs and Symptoms | Nipah Virus (NiV) | CDC". cdc.gov. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ "Herpes Simplex Type 1 and Type 2". WebMD. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
- PMID 23913580.
- PMID 19667214.
- ^ "Viral Central Nervous System Infections in Children - Children's Health Issues - Merck Manuals Consumer Version". Merck Manuals Consumer Version. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
- ^ PMID 36669485.
- News article about the study: Kozlov, Max (23 January 2023). "Massive health-record review links viral illnesses to brain disease". Nature. 614 (7946): 18–19. from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.