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Published on: November 21, 2013
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Movement disorders of probable infectious origin
Ketan Jhunjhunwala1, M Netravathi1, Pramod Kumar Pal1
1Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology
|September 16, 2014
Summary
Infections frequently cause movement disorders (MDs), particularly post-encephalitic dystonia. Brain imaging often reveals thalamic abnormalities in affected patients, highlighting key diagnostic markers.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Movement disorders (MDs) linked to infections are a significant cause of disability in Asia.
- Understanding the clinical and imaging features of infection-associated MDs is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the clinical and neuroimaging findings in a large cohort of patients with movement disorders potentially caused by infection.
- To identify common patterns of infection, movement disorder phenomenology, and brain abnormalities.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective chart review of 35 patients with movement disorders was conducted at a tertiary care center in India.
- Data collected included demographics, infection type, latency to MD onset, MD phenomenology, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings.
Main Results:
- The most common infection was viral encephalitis (85.7%), leading to movement disorders with a mean latency of 5.9 weeks.
- Dystonia was the most frequent MD (28.6%), often generalized (60%).
- Brain MRI abnormalities were present in 79.2% of patients, with the thalamus being the most commonly affected site (52.0%).
Conclusions:
- Infection-associated movement disorders are frequently post-encephalitic.
- Dystonia is the predominant movement disorder, and the thalamus is the most commonly implicated anatomical region in neuroimaging.
- Findings underscore the importance of considering infectious etiologies in movement disorder diagnosis.
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