Delirium as the first manifestation of Progressive Multifocal Leucoencephalopathy

Reehan SABRI ¹ and Kamini RAJARATNAM ²

¹ College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and ² Department of Community Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, Buangkok Green Medical Park, Singapore.

ABSTRACT

Progressive Multifocal Leucoencephalopathy (PML) is a demyelinating disorder caused by the reactivation of a latent virus in immunosuppressed individuals (usually as a result of Human Immune Deficiency virus infection [HIV] or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome [AIDS]). This report highlights the case of a young man with PML who initially presented with psychosis but was, in fact, in a state of delirium. This was followed by a rapid global cognitive decline and eventually a terminal state. The case is interesting as an unusual diagnosis underlying a common clinical presentation.

Keywords: Human immune deficiency virus, AIDS, delirium, psychiatry

Correspondence author: Reehan Sabri, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Tel: +966 1 801-1111 Ext. 51019

E mail: sabrir@ksau-hs.edu.sa

 Brunei Int Med J. 2014; 10 (1): 51-54