SPECT results and ymptoms caused by DILE

April 2010 SPECT results subtle bilateral symmetric decreased perfusion in both frontal lobes & anterior temporal lobes -but not typical of cerebral vasculitis.

Type I Diabetice 34 years Chronic neck & back pain & muscle aches and Generalized anxiety (Normal Symptoms)

March 2008 - 3 wks IV antibiotcis (Tazobactyum  flagyll penicilin)..  Eniter body went numb - couldn't feel pressure or Normal Symptoms. Extremely euphoric.  Dx,d - allergy to above antibiotics.  Stopped antibiotics  and all Normal Symptoms returned.

Started Crestor 20 mg in Nov 2008.  Mid Dec 2008 sudden onset - unable to:
a.  Feel    any  Nrmal Symptoms above - bilaterally and symmetrical loss entire body but worse in face
              Hunger
             Full Bladder
            hypoclyemia
b. Lost ability to sweat & feel itch (entire body bilateral), to feel secondary pain but could still feel initial sharp pain & vibration, lost fight or flight response - pupils more dilated but sluggish - no anxiety even when hypoclycemic.
  
Head foggy - unable to concentrate, difficult to hear with background noise

For over a year, above occurred.  Initially loss of sensation etc would come & go within minutes.  Then became more permanent over next year.

Dec 2008    + ANA test, - Ds-DNA and low c-4

All ct scans - MRi's - carotid doplar - all normal in 2008 and early 2009. WBC count was low occasionally.

Started Naproxen 2010 for suden onset  bilateral knee pain (extreme) in early 2010 .  Sensation began to return to normal.  Stopped all regular meds and all normal sensations returned completelly within 1-2 weeks.  Sweat again, anxiety, able to feel all musclular pain and ache, hunger  etc

SPECT brain scan - was completed while I was NOT taking Naproxen - but was taking all of the above drugs.

Could  decreased blood flow to to parts of barain as seen on the SPECT scan  cause above symptoms? Could results be caused by inflammation from DILE?

[Garth L Nicolson, PhD]

You are, of course, completely correct.  I did miss that in drafting my rapid response.

[Garth L Nicolson, PhD]

Chronic intracellular bacterial infections, such as Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, etc. cause atypical vasculitis, so the results may not be exactly the same as classical vasculitis.  Such infections are systemic and usually other symptoms are also present.  These can be anything from arthritis to glandular infections (thyroid or thyroiditis, pancreas or pancreatitis, etc.). They also commonly cause peripheral neuropathy, which could explain your pain and skin sensations.  They often present as autoimmune disorders because the nature of these infections stimulate concomitant immune responses that also appear as autoimmune responses against normal antigens that are carried on the surfaces of these microorganisms when they leave cells or 'mimicry' antigens used to escape immune detection.

Interestingly, in some of these infections (in particular, the cell wall deficient forms) pennicilin based Abx usually cause the symptoms to worsen.  This is not the usual Herxheimer or die-off reactions (primarily due to inflammatory cytokine release) that usually pass within days to weeks, but a real explosion in severe symptoms.  Switching to another Abx usually solves this problem.

Our experience in such situations is that Abx therapy is slow and gradual (after an initial Herxheimer phase that makes symptoms initially worse).  

[jltcamp]

Thank you for your response.  I am a bit confused though.  If is isn infection, why would stopping the drugs like Crestor fix the problems? And would it be wise to seek ABx treatement even if the symptoms are gone since I stopped the Cretstor and other meds?

Thanks for your time.  Your help is greatly appreciated!!!!

[Garth L Nicolson, PhD]

You are, of course, correct.  In my too quick reading of your post, I missed that important point.