Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0014070 (encephalomyelitis)
 13,017 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In the brains and spinal cords of 153 adult patients dying with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) at New York and Memorial Hospitals a subacute encephalitis with multinucleated cells was present in 28% of all patients. This encephalitis was characterized by multinucleated cells primarily located in the white matter and associated with myelin pallor and sparse infiltrates of rod cells, macrophages, gemistocytic astrocytes and lymphocytes. The incidence per 12 month period ranged from 0 to 43% and significantly increased between 1983-84 (14%) and 1984-85 (43%). Recent virologic and pathologic studies suggest that this encephalitis may be caused by direct LAV/HTLV-III infection of the central nervous system (CNS). Cytomegalovirus encephalomyelitis and toxoplasmosis were the most common opportunistic infections (26% and 10%, respectively). Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, herpes simplex ventriculitis, varicella-zoster leukoencephalitis and fungal infections were infrequent (less than 3% each). A nonspecific encephalitis with microglial nodules and with mild white matter changes occurred in 17%, vacuolar myelopathy in 29% and CNS lymphoma in 6%. Less than 20% of patients had either normal brains or terminal metabolic encephalopathies. This survey shows that neuropathologic complications of AIDS are frequent. Infections are the most common complication and are caused by probable LAV/HTLV-III infection, or by opportunistic organisms.
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PMID:Neuropathology of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS): an autopsy review. 302 14

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of the nervous system is frequent in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and can be responsible for encephalitis, encephalomyelitis, meningoradiculitis or polyradiculo-neuropathy. Encephalitis is characterized at microscopy by its periventricular and cerebellar location, and by the presence of cytomegalic cells, containing intranuclear and/or intracytoplasmic inclusions, microglial nodules and necrotic foci. The virus can infect almost all types of cells. Coexistence of CMV and HIV has been observed in giant cells of macrophagic origin. It has been suggested that the two viruses could act in synergy. The nervous system is seldom infected by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in AIDS. The infection can be responsible for multifocal leukoencephalitis, ventriculitis, vascular lesions associated or not with cerebral infarction, or with meningomyeloradiculitis. In almost all cell types Cowdry's type A intranuclear inclusions have been found. The virus can be demonstrated by immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridization. VZV antigens have been reported in the walls of vessels damaged by a non inflammatory obliterating vasculopathy or by a granulomatous angiitis. Coexistence of VZV and HIV has been observed in giant cells of macrophagic origin, and synergy between those two viruses has been suspected.
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PMID:[Pathologic anatomy of cytomegalovirus encephalomyelitis and varicella-zona virus encephalomyelitis]. 747 34

Infections of the central nervous system by Herpes simplex viruses (Herpes simplex type 1 and Herpes simplex type 2) are uncommon in acquired immune deficiency syndrome and are often clinically and pathologically atypical. We have collected 11 cases of herpes simplex encephalomyelitis in AIDS patients reported in the literature. Only 3 of these cases presented with a typical, necrotizing, limbic encephalitis. Other clinicopathological patterns included ventriculitis, rhombencephalitis and myelitis. Ventriculitis and rhombencephalitis were usually due to infection by HSV-1, whereas myelitis was mostly due to HSV-2 infection. Distinction between the 2 types of virus is often difficult by immunohistochemistry due to frequent cross reactivity and usually requires tissue culture, in situ hybridization, or polymerase chain reaction. Association of HSV encephalomyelitis with productive infection of the central nervous system by the human immunodeficiency virus was only found in one case. In contrast, co-infection with cytomegalovirus was found in 9 of the 11 cases. One case also had had varicella zoster virus vasculitis, and another case also had a cerebral malignant non Hodgkin's lymphoma in which Epstein Barr virus genome was identified. This supports the view that concomitant herpes-virus infections of the central nervous system is a characteristic feature of AIDS.
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PMID:[Central nervous system infection due to Herpes simplex virus in AIDS]. 938 7