Leukoencephalopathy and Akinetic Mutism in a Married Couple: A Probable Association with Oriental Medicine.
- Author:
Ick Sung LEE
1
;
Young Do KIM
;
Se Yoon KWON
;
Joong Seok KIM
Author Information
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords: oriental medicine; toxic leukoencephalopathy; akinetic mutism
- MeSH: Akinetic Mutism; Basal Ganglia; Brain; Eating; Humans; Leukoencephalopathies; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Medicine, East Asian Traditional; Neurotoxicity Syndromes
- From:Journal of Clinical Neurology 2011;7(4):223-226
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND: Oriental medicines have been associated with severe psychiatric, neurological, and other adverse medical events. These medicines occasionally cause a typical reversible toxic encephalopathy, but most such cases are not recognized because these adverse events are complex and are associated with other systemic signs and symptoms. CASE REPORT: We describe a married couple with rapid progressive cognitive impairment and akinetic mutism after taking the same oriental medicines on the same day. Brain magnetic resonance images of the couple showed typical leukoencephalopathy in the periventricular white matter and basal ganglia regions, bilaterally. CONCLUSIONS: The development of neurobehavioral symptoms and toxic leukoencephalopathy in both patients following the ingestion of oriental medicines is suggestive of a cause-and-effect association, although such a relationship needs to be verified.
