Brustia, Diego, Uglietti, Alessia, Garavelli, Pietro Luigi · Recenti progressi in medicina · 2004
This case study describes one patient with a rare condition called polyneuritis cranialis (weakness affecting multiple nerves in the head and face) that was linked to a human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) infection. The patient was treated with an antiviral medication called ganciclovir, and her symptoms improved only after the virus was completely cleared from her body.
Since HHV-6 has been postulated to play a role in ME/CFS pathogenesis, understanding its neurological manifestations—including effects on cranial nerves—may inform understanding of neurological symptoms reported in ME/CFS patients. This case suggests that HHV-6 can cause measurable neurological damage and may respond to antiviral therapy, relevant to ongoing investigations of viral mechanisms in ME/CFS.
This single case report does not prove that HHV-6 causes polyneuritis cranialis in general populations, nor does it establish HHV-6 as a causative agent in ME/CFS. The improvement with ganciclovir may reflect coincidental recovery, placebo effect, or other confounding factors. The case cannot determine whether HHV-6 reactivation or primary infection was responsible, or whether the association applies to other patient populations.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Brustia, Diego, Uglietti, Alessia, & Garavelli, Pietro Luigi (2004). [Polyneuritis cranialis HHV-6 infection associated].. Recenti progressi in medicina. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15202678/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-brustia-2004-polyneuritis-cranialis,
author = {Brustia, Diego and Uglietti, Alessia and Garavelli, Pietro Luigi},
title = {[Polyneuritis cranialis HHV-6 infection associated].},
journal = {Recenti progressi in medicina},
year = {2004},
note = {PubMed: 15202678},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/brustia-2004-polyneuritis-cranialis},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/brustia-2004-polyneuritis-cranialis
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