HHV-6 & Seizures

A recent study from Japan discovered that 167 out of 983 cases of acute encephalopathy (17%) were caused by HHV-6, but accounted for 64% of the more severe cases with biphasic seizures, of which only half survived without permanent neurological sequelae (Hoshino 2011). In a study of hospital admissions in the UK, 17% of encephalitis cases were associated with primary infections of HHV-6 and 7, and the two viruses were equally significant in these cases (Ward 2005).  Long term outcome for post transplant patients with HHV-6 encephalitis/encephalopathy is poor, with four out of five unable to return to society (Sakai 2011).  In addition, cases of HHV-6 encephalopathy with clusters of convulsions (e.g. seizures) during the eruptive stage have been observed (Nagasawa 2007).