• Join
  • Store
  • Calendar
  • My Profile
  • Get AMSA ID
  • User Login
AMSA-Logo-w-tagline-mediumAMSA-Logo-w-tagline-mediumAMSA-Logo-w-tagline-mediumAMSA-Logo-w-tagline-medium
  • Member Center
    • Deals & Offers
    • Renew or Join
    • AMSA Around the World
    • Chapter Officer Hub
    • Launch Pad
    • Start a Chapter
    • What’s On
  • Programs & Events
    • Clinical Experiences Program
    • Convention & Exposition
    • HEART-IM Elective
    • IMG Residency Prep Series
    • Leadership Program
    • Med School Success Series
    • Mentorship Program
    • PremedFest
    • Regional SIM Challenges
    • Reproductive Health Project
    • Residency Prep Program
    • Self Awareness Assessment
    • Scholars Programs
  • Get Involved
    • AMSA Activism Updates
    • Action Committees
    • Campaigns & Initiatives
    • COVID-19 Medical Student Resources
    • Fellowship Program
    • House of Delegates
    • Leadership Opportunities
    • Weeks of Action
    • Alumni
  • News & Resources
    • AMSA Alliance Directory
    • The New Physician magazine
    • On Call Blog
    • Weekly Consult newsletter
    • AMSA Ad Lib Podcast
    • Press Room
  • About
    • How AMSA Works
    • Why AMSA?
    • Advisory Council
    • AMSA Foundation
    • Constitution & Bylaws
    • National Leadership
    • National Office Staff
    • Our History
How would you manage this acute abdominal pain?
August 29, 2018
What substance is associated with this presentation?
September 12, 2018
Show all

Cough, conjunctivitis, and coryza — what’s the cause?

Figure 1 Quiz of the Week

A five-year-old male with a four-day history of fever presents with a new erythematous rash. His mother says he has been coughing and sneezing for the past few days. Examination reveals conjunctivitis, grayish elevations on the buccal mucosa opposite his molar teeth, and a maculopapular rash on his trunk and extremities.

Which of the following is a long-term complication of this patient’s condition?


View Results
Loading ... Loading ...

 

Image credit: @iMedicalJen

 

Answer:  Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

This patient’s symptoms and examination findings are consistent with a diagnosis of measles. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) — a progressive neurodegenerative disease — is an uncommon, but fatal long-term complication of the condition that can occur 7 to 10 years after the initial measles virus infection. While the pathogenesis is not fully understood, SSPE may be caused by a persistent infection of the central nervous system with a genetic variant of the measles virus. The severity of SSPE reinforces the importance of the measles vaccination for preventing measles and its associated complications.

Read more and join the discussion now at Figure 1!

 


Explore cases, quiz yourself, and solve medical mysteries along with thousands of other medical professionals around the world on Figure 1, the free app where doctors expand their clinical knowledge.

Share

Related posts

March 6, 2019

What’s causing this patient’s seizures?


Read more
February 27, 2019

A drinking binge leads to a surgical emergency


Read more
February 6, 2019

Which additional CSF finding is most likely?


Read more

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Join / Renew Membership
  • AMSA Foundation
  • Online Store
  • Press Room
  • Work With Us
  • Institutional Partners

Contact Us

Follow Us




Copyright 2019, American Medical Student Association, Chantilly, VA