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Neurological Emergencies in the Immunocompromised Population

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Emergencies in Neurology

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Abstract

Neurological emergencies are a significant source of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Immunodeficiency can be attributed to congenital and acquired causes. Congenital immunodeficiencies can either be combined with involvement of both cellular and humoral immunity or restricted to impairment of either type. Common combined immunodeficiency syndromes include ataxia telangiectasia, Wiskott Aldrich syndrome, and DiGeorge syndrome whereas X linked agammaglobulinemia and common variable immunodeficiency are characterized by isolated impaired humoral immunity. As opposed to rare patients with congenital immunodeficiencies, acquired immunodeficiencies are much more common. Acquired immunodeficiency is seen in HIV patients, diabetics, and in various patients treated with immunosuppressive, cytotoxic, and antirejection medications (e.g., transplant recipients, patients with autoimmune disorders, and cancer). These people are at increased risk of various neurologic emergencies including opportunistic CNS infections, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), epilepsy, and stroke.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Ajitesh Ojha & Saša A. Živković

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  1. Ajitesh Ojha
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  2. Saša A. Živković
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Correspondence to Saša A. Živković .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

    Mamta Bhushan Singh

  2. Department of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

    Rohit Bhatia

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Ojha, A., Živković, S.A. (2019). Neurological Emergencies in the Immunocompromised Population. In: Singh, M., Bhatia, R. (eds) Emergencies in Neurology . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7381-7_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7381-7_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-7379-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-7381-7

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