acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis


a·cute nec·ro·tiz·ing hem·or·rhag·ic en·ceph·a·lo·my·e·li·tis

a fulminating demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system that affects mainly children and young adults. Almost always preceded by a respiratory infection, characterized by the abrupt onset of fever, headache, confusion, and nuchal rigidity, soon followed by focal seizures, hemiplegia, or quadriplegia, brainstem findings, and coma; the CSF shows evidence of an inflammatory process; due to the massive destruction of the white matter of one or both hemispheres, often accompanied by similar destruction of the white matter of the brainstem and cerebellar peduncles; of unknown etiology. Synonym(s): acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis, acute necrotizing hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis, Hurst disease

acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis

A neurological syndrome marked by rapidly progressive neurological findings, associated with asymmetric inflammatory pathological changes in the brain, and bleeding. Synonym: Weston Hurst syndromeSee also: leukoencephalitis

Hurst,

Edward Weston, Australian bacteriologist, 1900-1980. Hurst disease - Synonym(s): acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis