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Can Osteomyelitis Lead To Symptoms Of Neurological Disorder?
Question: Hi,
My 13 Year old daughter had an accident nearly 3 years ago and following many visits to different doctors, she has been diagnosed with Transient Cognitive impairment and epilepsy. She has now started meds to try and control her absences.
Her neurologist is unsure if the head injury caused all these issues and feels that perhaps it might be caused by an immune mediated encephalopathy.
Following her accident she had a fracture in her T3 in her lumbar spine and fractured both arms. She was hospitalised 1 week after the accident when she had an esr level of 68 and spent 11 days in hospital. We were discharged without a diagnosis but I have since found out that the doctors suspected she had Osteomyelitis.
What I would like to know is Could this Osteomyelitis have caused the encephalopathy and caused the damage she now has to her front lobal part of her brain.
Prior to the accident her IQ was 129 , it has now dropped to 84 and she struggles with comprehension and many other difficulties.
I look forward to hearing from you
My 13 Year old daughter had an accident nearly 3 years ago and following many visits to different doctors, she has been diagnosed with Transient Cognitive impairment and epilepsy. She has now started meds to try and control her absences.
Her neurologist is unsure if the head injury caused all these issues and feels that perhaps it might be caused by an immune mediated encephalopathy.
Following her accident she had a fracture in her T3 in her lumbar spine and fractured both arms. She was hospitalised 1 week after the accident when she had an esr level of 68 and spent 11 days in hospital. We were discharged without a diagnosis but I have since found out that the doctors suspected she had Osteomyelitis.
What I would like to know is Could this Osteomyelitis have caused the encephalopathy and caused the damage she now has to her front lobal part of her brain.
Prior to the accident her IQ was 129 , it has now dropped to 84 and she struggles with comprehension and many other difficulties.
I look forward to hearing from you
Brief Answer:
Osteomyelitis doesn't cause neurological symptoms.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for using HCM.
I have read your query and understand your concerns.
Osteomyelitis refers to an infection of the bone, it doesn't cause any neurological disorder.
Dropping IQ after a trauma event isn't related to encephalopathy, it is probably related to brain injury such as diffuse axonal injury.
Physical and psychological therapy is the best thing to follow in such cases.
Hope you found the answer helpful. Let me know if you have any further queries..
Greetings.
Osteomyelitis doesn't cause neurological symptoms.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for using HCM.
I have read your query and understand your concerns.
Osteomyelitis refers to an infection of the bone, it doesn't cause any neurological disorder.
Dropping IQ after a trauma event isn't related to encephalopathy, it is probably related to brain injury such as diffuse axonal injury.
Physical and psychological therapy is the best thing to follow in such cases.
Hope you found the answer helpful. Let me know if you have any further queries..
Greetings.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Hi
Thanks for the reply and I understand that osteomyelitis is a bone disease and in isolation does not cause brain damage but there is a question mark wether it affected her immune system and caused immune mediated encephalopathy.
Having read up a little on it , osteomyelitis
Is often seen in conjunction with encephalopathy and I have been told that this type of infection can cause cognitive problems if it is not treated correctly .
Is this true
Many thanks
Thanks for the reply and I understand that osteomyelitis is a bone disease and in isolation does not cause brain damage but there is a question mark wether it affected her immune system and caused immune mediated encephalopathy.
Having read up a little on it , osteomyelitis
Is often seen in conjunction with encephalopathy and I have been told that this type of infection can cause cognitive problems if it is not treated correctly .
Is this true
Many thanks
Brief Answer:
Other causes of cognitive impairment should be considered.
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back and thanks for being on follow up.
Osteomyelitis is an infection (bacterial one), and its relation to encephalopathy isn't very clear, as far as I know.
Furthermore, you mentioned that osteomyelitis was suspected, but not diagnosed.
Encephalopathy in relation with osteomyelitis could be caused by prolonged use of antibiotics to treat the infection (gentamicin for example), more than osteomyelitis itself.
Cognitive impairment can be related to more common causes than encephalopathy, in your daughter's case, such seizures, hypoxic/anoxic brain changes after brain injury etc.
It is necessary for a brain MRI, (with epilepsy protocol too) in order to understand better your daughter's condition.
Hope I helped you.
Greeting.
Other causes of cognitive impairment should be considered.
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back and thanks for being on follow up.
Osteomyelitis is an infection (bacterial one), and its relation to encephalopathy isn't very clear, as far as I know.
Furthermore, you mentioned that osteomyelitis was suspected, but not diagnosed.
Encephalopathy in relation with osteomyelitis could be caused by prolonged use of antibiotics to treat the infection (gentamicin for example), more than osteomyelitis itself.
Cognitive impairment can be related to more common causes than encephalopathy, in your daughter's case, such seizures, hypoxic/anoxic brain changes after brain injury etc.
It is necessary for a brain MRI, (with epilepsy protocol too) in order to understand better your daughter's condition.
Hope I helped you.
Greeting.
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
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