'Epidemic neuromyasthenia' in Southwest Ireland

During the course of an obscure illness in a teenage girl it was eventually realized that the diagnosis was 'epidemic neuromyasthenia'. The illness which occurred between February and September 1976 was characterized by fatigue, pallor, headache, nuchal pain, alterations in mentation, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, paraesthesiae, weakness and heaviness of limbs, and a prolonged relapsing course. Investigation brought to light fourteen patients with similar symptoms--twelve female and two male. In view of the shortcomings of retrospective enquiries, especially those involving the assessment of notes made by other people, and the problem of trying to define a nonfatal illness with protean symptoms, many of a nonspecific nature, with few physical findings and negative laboratory studies, caution is necessary. Under these circumstances it is claimed on clinical epidemiological evidence that a diagnosis of 'epidemic neuromyasthenia' could be sustained confidently in three patients and probably in a fourth. Six patients were considered possible cases and four were rejected.