Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis: A Case Report of Atypical Long-Term Survivor

Subacute sclerosing pan encephalitis (SSPE) is a slow viral disease that follows the wild-type measles infection of early childhood with a subsequent progressive encephalitic illness with seizures and global regression after a long latent period. Mostly considered an invariably progressive and terminal degenerative disorder, the intriguing variability in course with plateaus and spontaneous remissions, while rare, have been recognized. [1, 2] The predictors of disease trajectory and the mechanisms at molecular and immunological levels that determine these differences in outcome remain largely undetermined. Here, we describe a young lady with classical and well-defined features of SSPE who had a relatively favourable outcome with remissions and atypical relapses spread over more than a decade. This highlights the crucial need for detailed documentation and consistent follow-up instead of resorting to a blanket approach of therapeutic pessimism when treating SSPE.