Encephalopathic Presentation of West Nile Virus Neuroinvasive Disease Confounded by Concomitant History of Acute Alcohol Withdrawal

Authors

Alyssa Profita, Medical College of Wisconsin
Kristin Haglund, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Publication Date

10-2019

Publisher

Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Inc.

Source Publication

Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal

Source ISSN

1931-4485

Abstract

West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) is a rare and severe manifestation of West Nile virus (WNV) infection that occurs in less than 1% of infected persons. It should be considered in patients who present with fever, neurological symptoms, and a history of recent outdoor activity where mosquitoes were active. This article highlights a case of a 55-year-old man whose history and symptoms of WNND were confounded with an alternate diagnosis, acute alcohol withdrawal. An overview of WNV infections, and important historical clues and objective findings characteristic of neuroinvasive disease, is discussed to increase readers' knowledge of WNV and awareness of when to consider WNND in the diagnostic differential.

Comments

Accepted version. Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, Vol. 41, No. 4 (October/December 2019): 316-321. DOI. © 2019 Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Inc. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Profita, Alyssa and Haglund, Kristin, "Encephalopathic Presentation of West Nile Virus Neuroinvasive Disease Confounded by Concomitant History of Acute Alcohol Withdrawal" (2019). College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications. 623.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/nursing_fac/623