This Mysterious Disease Called Sleepy Sickness Afflicted A Million People, And Then It Disappeared
During and after the First World War, a disease called encephalitis lethargica, also known as the “sleepy sickness,” afflicted a million people all over the world.
But then, it suddenly vanished and has remained a mystery for the past century. It is unclear what caused it and why it went away.
The disease was first described in 1917 by a neurologist in Vienna. At first, the symptoms were similar to those of the flu but progressed into something much different.
Throughout the weeks, some people would be unable to sleep at all, while others would be so drowsy that they could only stay awake for a few minutes at a time. In this early phase, about half of the victims died.
Those who survived and recovered from the illness began to notice that their movements were slower and stiffer.
Even their eyes would get stuck in certain positions. Eventually, many would end up in a frozen state, no longer able to move or speak.
In addition, many individuals developed monotonous or slurred speech and changes to their mood, personality, and perception of reality.
In a new study, a team of researchers assessed four patients who developed kleptomania, or compulsive stealing, as part of their illness.
Tracing the origins of a disease is rarely as simple or straightforward as it seems. Since encephalitis lethargica started suddenly and disappeared, some experts have suggested that it is linked to an infection.
naiaekky – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only – pictured above is an unmade bed with white sheets
The Spanish flu occurred around the same time, but the first cases of encephalitis lethargica appeared earlier. Influenza virus was not found in the brains of people who were affected.
The team spent countless hours combing through records of over 600 patients who had encephalitis lethargica.
They found that only 32 percent of the patients had caught something only remotely like the flu in the year before their illness began.
Additionally, less than one percent had an affected family member. So, the flu infection theory seems rather unlikely. A more recent theory for the cause of encephalitis lethargica is an autoimmune process.
The body’s natural defense mechanisms may have targeted the brain as if it were a harmful or foreign presence. This happens in the pancreas when a reaction against cells leads to type one diabetes.
In the brain, the results can be severely life-threatening. A condition called autoimmune encephalitis occurs when specific antibodies attack nerve cells in the brain.
Nearly half of the patients diagnosed with encephalitis lethargica may have had autoimmune encephalitis.
But as for the slow thoughts and movements, hallucinations, and delusions, it makes more sense for them to be associated with some type of infection or flu. Some autoimmune conditions can be set off by an infection.
It’s important to continue working on solving the mystery of encephalitis lethargica so we can be prepared to treat similar diseases in the future.
The study was published in Brain Communications.
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