Key result
Influenza viruses and vaccines are associated with rare neurological complications such as acute encephalopathy, post-influenzal encephalitis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
This review highlights the rare but significant neurological complications associated with influenza infection and its treatments or vaccines.
Clinicians should monitor for rare neurological events after influenza or vaccination; leaves open questions on causality, incidence, and prevention strategies.
Influenza viruses rarely cause acute encephalopathy. Post-influenzal encephalitis, which occurs a few weeks after recovery from influenza is thought to be an autoimmune process associated with demyelination and vasculopathy. It has been suggested that Economo lethargic encephalitis followed by postencephalitic Parkinsonism was associated with the influenza A epidemic of 1918 (Spanish flu). The incidence of Reye's syndrome has markedly decreased due to the avoidance of salicylates in the treatment of influenza or varicella. One inactivated flu vaccine is thought to have caused Guillain Barre syndrome due to molecular mimicry between viral protein and myelin, which triggered autoimmune responses. The persistence of influenza virus genes in neural cells as one of the causes of chronic degenerative diseases of the central nervous system by inducing apoptosis of the host cells is yet to be proven.
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Hayase et al. (1997) conducted a review in Neurological diseases associated with influenza. Influenza virus was evaluated. Influenza viruses and vaccines are associated with rare neurological complications such as acute encephalopathy, post-influenzal encephalitis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
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