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Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and neurological disease
N H Thomas1, J E Collins, S A Robb
1Department of Paediatric Neurology, Guy's Hospital, London.
Insights
Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections can cause serious childhood neurological illnesses, including seizures and altered consciousness. This study highlights that chest infections are uncommon, and most children recover fully from these neurological complications.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common respiratory pathogen.
- Neurological complications of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections are increasingly recognized in children.
- Published literature often associates these complications with concurrent respiratory symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the spectrum of acute neurological illnesses associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children.
- To investigate the clinical presentation and outcomes of these neurological cases.
- To assess the frequency of associated chest infections in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae-related neurological illness.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case series.
- Review of medical records for 13 children diagnosed with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and acute neurological illness over 22 months.
- Clinical data collection included neurological symptoms, diagnostic findings, and treatment outcomes.
Main Results:
- Thirteen children presented with diverse acute neurological conditions linked to Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
- Common presentations included decreased consciousness and seizures; less common were psychosis, hemiparesis, cranial nerve palsies, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
- Notably, only one child had a concurrent chest infection, differing from previous reports.
Conclusions:
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a significant and not uncommon cause of acute neurological illness in childhood.
- Neurological manifestations can be varied and atypical.
- Most affected children achieve a complete recovery, though some may experience residual disability.
Abstract:
The cases are reported of 13 children seen over a 22 month period who presented with a variety of acute neurological illnesses associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Although presentation with a decreased level of consciousness or seizures was common, psychosis, hemiparesis, cranial nerve palsies, and Guillain-Barré syndrome were also seen. In contrast with published reports, only one child had an associated chest infection. Although some children have been left with residual disability, most have made a complete recovery. In this recent experience, M pneumoniae is a not rare cause of neurological illness in childhood and may present in unusual ways.