hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection and neurological disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An observational cohort study to identify the association of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection with neurological disease.
IRAS ID
162972
Contact name
John Dalton
Contact email
Research summary
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has recently emerged as a threat to human health in developed countries. HEV is transmitted to humans from pigs, probably via the food chain, as 10% of UK pork sausages are contaminated with HEV. In addition, in England 1:2,800 blood donations are contaminated with HEV, and donations are not currently screened. There are approximately 60,000 infections with HEV in England every year. It is thought that most infections with HEV either cause no symptoms, or cause symptoms that are currently not recognised.
Case studies have suggested that HEV may trigger a range of neurological injury. Very recent detailed studies have shown that HEV can trigger two neurological syndromes: Guillain-Barré syndrome (5% of cases) and neuralgic amyotrophy (10%). The role of HEV in other neurological conditions is not known. The aim of this study is determine which other neurological conditions may be triggered by HEV, to help determine which conditions warrant more detailed study. This will potentially help patients with HEV-associated neurological injury, as such patients may benefit from early treatment with anti-viral drugs. Another possibility would be to prevent the condition developing by vaccination against HEV.REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/1268
Date of REC Opinion
1 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion