New findings to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada in April add to research published in TheNew England Journal of Medicine in December that suggest significant health problems persist for Ebola survivors.
The AAN researchers examined 82 Liberian Ebola survivors and found most of them still exhibited neurologic abnormalities, such as headache, memory loss, depression, muscle pain and weakness even six months after their infections.
"While an end to the outbreak has been declared, these survivors are still struggling with long-term problems," Lauren Bowen, MD, of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Md., and a member of the American Academy of Neurology and author of the study, said in a statement. "More than 28,600 people were infected with Ebola in West Africa during the outbreak. Of that number, 11,300 died. We wanted to find out more about possible continued long-term brain health problems for the more than 17,000 survivors of the infection."
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Additionally, two individuals studied were suicidal, and one reported hallucinations. Researchers involved with the December NEJM paper said they were unsure why the virus would be linked to long-term health effects including eye inflammation, insomnia and hearing loss, but noted that similar symptoms are seen in individuals who survive Dengue fever, a hemorrhagic illness similar to Ebola.
While not well understood, complications arising for those who contract and then are cured of Ebola are not new. Pauline Cafferkey, a British nurse who contracted the virus in 2014 while in West Africa, was transferred to a specialist unit at London's Royal Free Hospital due to Ebola-related complications. This is the third time Ms. Cafferkey has been admitted to hospital due to post-infection complications.