Zika may be linked to autoimmune brain disorder, study says
The Zika virus may be linked to yet another brain disorder, this one similar to multiple sclerosis, researchers report. The mosquito-borne virus is already suspected of causing a birth defect called microcephaly -- characterized by an abnormally small head and brain -- and a nervous system disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome. Now, a new study reports a possible link between Zika and an autoimmune disorder known as acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). In this disease, the immune system attacks the coating (myelin) around nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, much like multiple sclerosis.
The study results, released April 10, will be presented April 15 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Vancouver, Canada. Research presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. In Guillain-Barre, the immune system attacks the nervous system, resulting in muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Zika, which is prevalent in Latin America and the Caribbean, is mainly transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Most healthy people infected with the virus experience no symptoms, but babies whose mothers were exposed to the virus in pregnancy appear to be at special risk for microcephaly. The new research indicates the virus might have implications for others as well. The new study focused on six people who developed neurologic symptoms after arriving at a hospital in Recife between December 2014 and June 2015.
HealthDay
