The Rare Case Presentation of Adult-Onset Fulminant Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis in a 24-Year-Old Male

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a late effect of measles in children. Its features include seizures, a gradual loss of physical and cognitive function, and finally death. Despite the absence of a definitive cure for this disorder, a regimen combining intrathecal interferon-α (IFN-α) and daily oral isoprinosine has demonstrated effectiveness. We present the case of a 24-year-old male with spastic seizure epilepsy. He exhibited progressive weakness, frequent postural instability, and recurrent generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Increased measles antibody concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), prominent amplitude spikes on the electroencephalogram (EEG), and heightened fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) signals on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested a diagnosis of SSPE.