Zika Virus Linked To Yet Another Brain Disorder In Adults

There is a new brain disorder in adults that has been linked to Zika virus. It is known as the acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and is a worrying autoimmune disease leading to swelling of the brain and spinal cord.

The latest findings, detecting Zika's impact on the central nervous system, adds to its expanding list of related neurological damage.

"Though our study is small, it may provide evidence that, in this case, the virus has different effects on the brain than those identified in current studies," said Dr. Maria Lucia Brito Ferreira, a neurologist at Restoration Hospital in Recife, Brazil, who led the study. "Much more research will need to be done to explore whether there is a causal link between Zika and these brain problems."

This study involved six patients who visited the Brazilian hospital between December 2014 and June 2015 with symptoms related to having been caused by arboviruses, including Zika, dengue, and chikungunya.

With 151 cases of neurological manifestations at the hospital, the patients showed a fever followed by a rash. Most of the patients suffered severe itching, red eyes and muscle and joint pain.

Two of the six patients developed acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or sudden episodes of the brain and spinal cord swelling that harmed the brain's nerve fiber myelin or coating. Brain scans showed that the two patients also suffered damage to their brain's white matter.

Four of the patients were afflicted with Guillain-Barré syndrome, five of the six patients exhibited motor functioning problems, one person showed vision problems and another displayed memory and cognition problems.

All the six patients had been hit by the Zika virus. Tests for dengue and chikungunya were negative.

"This doesn't mean that all people infected with Zika will experience these brain problems. Of those who have nervous system problems, most do not have brain symptoms," said  Ferreira. "However, our study may shed light on possible lingering effects the virus may be associated within the brain."

The findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.