NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jun 22 - Infection with West Nile virus not only results in considerable acute morbidity and mortality, but may also have long-term adverse effects, an Atlanta-based researcher reports in the June 15th issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Recent assessments have indicated that even after apparently mild acute cases, West Nile virus patients often have subjective, somatic complaints, notes Dr. James J. Sejvar of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Persistent movement disorders, cognitive complaints, and functional disability may occur after West Nile neuroinvasive disease; and West Nile poliomyelitis may result in limb weakness and ongoing morbidity.
As of November 2006, Dr. Sejvar continued, there were more than 23,500 cases of West Nile virus reported in the U.S. Of these, 9700 included neuroinvasive disease and 904 cases were fatal. The ultimate consequences of West Nile infection may be considerably underestimated, he added.
In the early years of the U.S. outbreak of West Nile virus, he notes, the condition was often described as a "mild, benign and self-limited illness." This may not be the case, particularly in older patients, in whom mortality, possibly associated with exacerbation of underlying comorbidities, is significant.
Extreme fatigue is common and long-lasting. One study found that almost 96% of patients complained of fatigue lasting for a median of 36 days after the illness.
Mounting data, Dr. Sejvar observes, suggests that "'mild' West Nile virus infection may be associated with significant short-term and long-term morbidity."
West Nile virus-associated neuroinvasive disease develops in a minority of cases but has serious consequences. Among these is the greater than 50% mortality seen in patients with West Nile poliomyelitis and respiratory involvement.
Summing up, Dr. Sejvar told Reuters Health that although further assessment is needed, "it seems clear that in many cases, in addition to the problems associated with acute illness, there may be long-term neurological and functional problems associated with West Nile virus; and that these are likely to become an increasingly important public health problem."
Clin Infect Dis 2007;44:1617-1624.
Posts: 339 | From nowhere | Registered: May 2007
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West Nile is what caused the worst crash I have ever had, got west nile end aug 2003, only the last year as I been treating the lyme that I have some indication of improving, there have been a lot of ups and downs, I can see some slow improvement.
-------------------- CFS for 20 Years then found LYME the root cause! Am dealing with several viruses also. Posts: 89 | From Alliance Ne | Registered: May 2006
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