Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33133590›Full record

ArticleAnnals of medicine and surgery (2012)2020

Clinical, radiological, and electroencephalographic features of HHV-6 encephalitis following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Ahmed Yassin, Abdel-Hameed Al-Mistarehi, Khalid El-Salem, Aiman Momani, Majdi Al Qawasmeh, Rafael Rodriguez, Sudhakar Tummala

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of medicine and surgery (2012), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 38% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) encephalitis secondary to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Ahmed YassinAssistant Professor of Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, Epilepsy, and Medical Quality, Division of Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Abdel-Hameed Al-MistarehiDepartment of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Khalid El-SalemProfessor of Neurology, Division of Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Aiman MomaniDivision of Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Majdi Al QawasmehAssistant Professor of Neurology, Division of Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Rafael RodriguezConsultant Neurologist and Neurophysiologist, Neurophysiology Center, Professional Association, Tampa, FL, USA.
Sudhakar TummalaDivision of Cancer Medicine, Department of Neuro-Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Jordan University of Science and Technology · JOThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo study the clinical, radiological, electroencephalographic, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) features of Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6) encephalitis in leukemia patients underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

methodsWe retrospectively reviewed all leukemia patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT between January 2010 and December 2018. The clinical, radiological, electroencephalographic, and CSF features of those with HHV6 encephalitis were recorded.

resultsA total of five cases of HHV6 encephalitis were identified. Three patients had Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, one had Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and one had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. All of them presented a few months after transplantation with altered mental status. Comorbidities included pancytopenia, sepsis, graft versus host disease, and multi-organ failure. EEG showed focal seizures originating from temporal lobes in two patients, generalized or focal periodic discharges in three patients, focal slowing in two patients, and diffuse slowing in three patients. MRI brain showed T2/FLAIR hyper-intensities in four patients; two of them in bilateral temporal lobes, one in the thalamus/hypothalamus/brainstem/cerebellum/basal ganglia, and one in the periventricular areas. CSF showed pleocytosis, high protein, and positive HHV-6 PCR. Foscarnet was used as an anti-viral agent. Anti-epileptics used were phenytoin, levetiracetam, and valproic acid. Four patients died in a few months, whereas one recovered completely.

conclusionsHHV-6 encephalitis can add significant morbidity and mortality to leukemic patients following allogeneic HSCT. Patients present with typical clinical features of encephalitis. Salient EEG characteristics include periodic discharges or overt temporal lobe seizures. MRI findings are T2/FLAIR signal hyperintensities, mainly in the temporal lobes.

Indexed as

EncephalitisHHV-6MRISeizuresStem cellsTransplantationViral infection

Identifiers

PMID33133590
PMCPMC7585839
OpenAlexW3093540286

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.