Monkeypox can sometimes lead to neurological complications such as encephalitis (brain inflammation), confusion or seizures, finds a new review of evidence led by a UCL researcher.
Several studies incorporated in the systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence, published in eClinicalMedicine, also found that muscle aches, fatigue, headache, anxiety and depression were all relatively common among monkeypox patients.
Across the studies with relevant evidence, 2-3% of patients had severe complications such as seizure or encephalitis, although those studies mainly involved hospitalised patients from previous years. The researchers say there is not yet enough evidence to estimate neurological complication prevalence in the current outbreak.
The team led by researchers at UCL, Barts Health NHS Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and King’s College London, looked for any studies reporting neurological or psychiatric symptoms of monkeypox that had been reported up until May 2022, before the outbreak spread globally.
Lead author Dr Jonathan Rogers (UCL Institute of Mental Health, UCL Psychiatry, and South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust) said: “We found that severe neurological complications such as encephalitis and seizures, while rare, have been seen in enough monkeypox cases to warrant concern, so our study highlights a need for further investigation.
“There is also evidence that mood disorders such as depression and anxiety are relatively common for people with monkeypox.”
Monkeypox primarily causes skin lesions and fever, and can be fatal, although in the current outbreak, substantially fewer than one in 1,000 confirmed cases have resulted in death. Although it has been endemic in parts of Central and West Africa for decades, with sporadic outbreaks elsewhere, 2022 has been the first time the virus has spread globally, attracting increased attention to an infectious disease that was previously relatively neglected.
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