Psychiatric presentation of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in pregnancy: A rare case report

Abstract

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare disease seen more frequently in children although cases of adult onset have also been described. There are very few cases of SSPE in pregnancy and most have been diagnosed on autopsy. It is a debilitating condition usually resulting in death within 1–3 years. Due to its etiology and presenting features which occur 6–8 years after measles infection, SSPE often gets misdiagnosed or remains undiagnosed. We describe a case of SSPE in pregnancy who presented with psychiatric manifestations 7 days postpartum, and was treated as a case of postpartum psychosis. Her presenting neurological symptoms of confusion, ocular symptoms, and rigidity were masked by the behavioral component due to which the diagnosis of SSPE was a distant thought.

Keywords

• neurological signs
• pregnancy
• psychiatric manifestations
• subacute sclerosing panencephalitis