HHV-6 in Amnesia

Transplant associated HHV-6 encephalitis can result in amnesia.  Case reports include:

• 9 patients stem cell transplant patients developed a consistent pattern of anterograde amnesia, inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, temporal EEG abnormalities and clinical or subclinical seizures. (Seeley, 2007)

• 4 patients were reported to develop anterograde amnesia and seizures after stem cell transplants. (Gorniak 2006)

• a 20 year old university student developed acute amnesia one month after a bone marrow transplant. HHV-6 was the only virus detectable in the serum or spinal fluid. The patient recovered after antiviral treatment. (MacLean 2002)

• a 46 year old cancer patient developed severe short term memory dysfunction due to HHV-6 encephalitis after stem cell transplant (Visser 2005)

• a 10 year old girl with leukemia developed amnesia after unrelated cord blood transplant’ HHV-6 was found in the spinal fluid. Symptoms resolved with antiviral treatment. (Carvajal 2001)