THE ESSENTIAL
- As of September 6, 2022, 3,721 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been identified in France. 76 (3%) were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported to date. The epidemic seems to be gradually stabilizing.
- The first symptoms of monkeypox are fever, muscle aches, fatigue. Then an extensive rash appears (macules, papules then pustules).
- Complications occur in 1 to 10% of cases.
“We found that serious neurological complications such as encephalitis and seizures, although rare, were observed in a number of cases of monkeypox”. So said Dr. Jonathan Rogers, lead author of a new english studypublished on September 8 in EClinicalMedicine.
2 to 3% of patients concerned
According to his results, 2 to 3% of patients have serious complications such as seizures, confusion or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
With his team of researchers from University College London and other English institutions, Dr Jonathan Rogers searched for all studies reporting neurological or psychiatric symptoms due to monkeypox that had been reported up to May 2022. , before the outbreak spread globally. The review incorporated 19 studies, with a total of 1512 participants (1031 of whom had confirmed infection) from multiple countries. Several of these reviewed studies also found that muscle aches, fatigue, headaches, anxiety, and depression were all relatively common in patients with monkeypox.
Further, less limited studies are needed.
However, the researchers point out that there is not yet enough evidence to estimate the prevalence of neurological complications in the current epidemic. The studies reviewed did not have enough long-term follow-up of patients to know whether the observed symptoms lasted significantly longer than the acute phase of the disease. The researchers also caution that most of the cases in this review were hospitalized patients, so the symptoms studied may not be as common in people with milder cases. Further investigation is therefore needed to substantiate this concern and better estimate the prevalence of these complications. The researchers also point out that a larger study would be required to determine how monkeypox might also impact the brain.
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