Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis pregnancy

In a patient aged 16 behaviour at changes, followed by visual agnosia, aphasia, paraparesis and involuntary movements developed about the 24th week of pregnancy. The presence of measles virus antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid and progressing course of the disease with fever suggested SSPE. Pregnancy was terminated by caesarean section in the 30th week of pregnancy, the male premature baby died after 4 days, his brain was not examined under microscope. The mother died 2 weeks after labour in decerebrate rigidity. In the brain numerous profuse infiltrations composed of lymphocytes and plasma cells were found around blood vessels, the glia was proliferated and hypertrophied, eosinophilic inclusions were demonstrated in the nucleic of cortical neurons. The authors review the very few case, reported as yet, of SSPE in pregnant women. During pregnancy natural immunosuppression occurs, which may lead to activation of dormant infection with measles virus mutant. However, the history of one of the published cases suggests the possibility of other pathogenetic factors active in such cases.