Influenza toxic cerebral death

[Devsom]

I have a death certificate of a 44-year-old female who died in 1921.

Cause of death: (1) Influenza (toxic cerebral), (2) Coma 1 day

Can anyone tell me what influenza toxic cerebral means. I wondered if it was a way of describing what we now call toxic shock syndrome as that illness produces flu-like symptoms.

[christanel]

Evidently, reading a small number of research papers, neurological complications can be a result of the influenza virus. Coma is one of the more severe symptoms . here

Another study by researchers in Romania here investigated the neurological complications of the influenza virus.

Christina

[Devsom]

Thank you, it sounds very much like encephalitis. I found an article which said
“Encephalitis lethargica is a neurological syndrome that spread across Europe and then the world beginning in the winter of 1916–17, and continuing into the 1930s. Although the exact number of people afflicted with encephalitis lethargica during the epidemic period is unknown, it is estimated to be more than one million worldwide. Acute encephalitis lethargica often presented as a gradual onset of non-descript flu-like symptoms, including malaise, low-grade fever, pharyngitis, shivering, headache, vertigo, and vomiting. Neurological symptoms followed and could present very quickly, as in the case of a girl who experienced a sudden hemiplegia while walking home from a concert. Within half an hour she was asleep, and died 12 days later.“ https://academic.oup.com/brain/artic...8/2246/3970828

[christanel]

An interesting post and again I have learned something.
Christina