Sclerosing Pan Encephalitis (SSPE)
Sub Acute Sclersoing Pan Encephalitis (SSPE) is a rare disorder which causes degeneration of the whole of the brain over a period of years, beginning after either infection by the measles virus or, very rarely, vaccination by the measles vaccine. (Since the introduction of measles vaccine in the USA, the incidence of SSPE has dropped 100-fold). Since it usually begins about 7 years after the infection, it’s thought to be a late immune response triggered by the virus, causing self-destruction of brain tissue initially affecting coordination, then behaviour, progressing to dementia, coma and death. Electrical recording of brain waves (called an electroencephalogram, or EEG) is characteristically chaotic, and resembles that of an adult with severe Alzheimer’s disease.
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