Presentation and Rehabilitation In A Patient With Toxoplasmosis Encephalitis: A Case Study and Review

Publication date: Available online 22 January 2016 Source:PM&R Author(s): Ryan Mattie, Zack McCormick, Henry Huie Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic infection that often presents in the setting of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The infection can cause severe and potentially fatal encephalitis due to the reactivation of latent infections in the setting of immune suppression. Diagnosing toxoplasmosis encephalitis in immunocompromised patients is often difficult because the signs and symptoms can be non-specific, but making a diagnosis of TE is even more challenging in a patient who is not known to have HIV/AIDS and shows no other signs of being immunocompromised. Early diagnosis and treatment can result in rapid radiological and clinical improvement, however, no studies exist that evaluate the utility of functional rehabilitation for patients diagnosed with toxoplasmosis encephalitis. Though prior studies report a good prognosis for patients who receive antibiotic treatment, they do not discuss the extent to which functional abilities lost during the infection are returned after their treatment. We discuss a case of stroke-like presentation of cerebral toxoplasmosis encephalitis in a patient whose HIV status was previously unknown, and report the functional improvements that were made during acute inpatient rehabilitation.

Source: PMandR - January 22, 2016 Category: Rehabilitation Source Type: research