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Hypothermia in multiple sclerosis
K D White1, D J Scoones, P K Newman
1Department of Neurology, Middlesbrough General Hospital, Cleveland, UK.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
|October 1, 1996
Summary
Multiple sclerosis relapses linked to hypothermia in five patients. Hypothalamic lesions were found to cause altered thermoregulation and hypothermia in these cases.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroimmunology
- Thermoregulation
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system.
- Thermoregulation disturbances are recognized in MS, but acute hypothermia is rarely reported.
- The underlying mechanisms of thermoregulatory dysfunction in MS require further elucidation.
Observation:
- Five patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis experienced acute relapses coinciding with hypothermia.
- Four of these patients had recurrent episodes of hypothermia.
- Thrombocytopenia was noted in conjunction with hypothermia in four patients.
Findings:
- One patient exhibited chronic hypothermia and an altered thermoregulatory set point.
- Initial investigations including MRI, endocrine, and autonomic studies did not localize a hypothalamic lesion.
- Necropsy confirmed hypothalamic lesions, indicating direct or indirect involvement of this brain region.
Implications:
- Hypothalamic lesions, either direct or affecting outflow pathways, can predispose MS patients to altered thermoregulation and hypothermia.
- This finding highlights the importance of considering thermoregulatory dysfunction in MS relapses.
- Further research into hypothalamic involvement in MS pathophysiology is warranted.