Leucoencefalopatía multifocal progresiva: desde el origen a 2008

The term progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) denotes a demyelinating neurological disease caused by oligodendrocyte destruction produced by reactivation of human polyomavirus JC, usually acquired in childhood. The advent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has contributed to the marked increase in the frequency of this disease and to incomplete discovery of the complex and close molecular relations between JC and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Clinical manifestations are nonspecific and are typical of any demyelinating disease, although PML is more aggressive and has a poor prognosis. Definitive diagnosis is based on histological analysis, but neuroimaging and polymerase chain reaction for JC virus in cerebrospinal fluid can also be used. There is no curative therapy. Autoimmune diseases and, recently, iatrogenic damage by immunosuppressors and monoclonal antibodies, are other causes of this disease.