Abortion in cases of zika virus congenital infection / Aborto nos casos de infecção congênita pelo vírus Zika

Abstract The emergency in international public health caused by the Zika virus gave rise to the discussion about abortion in cases of congenital Zika virus syndrome (CZS). Therefore, we propose to carry out a bibliographic review on abortion in these cases. Five databases were searched using the following terms: abortion, miscarriage, and zika, with the interposition of the Boolean operator "AND." In the selected literature, we found references to the lack of information concerning the risks and severity of CZS, to the great psychological distress suffered by pregnant women, and to the risk of unsafe abortions as a justification for abortion in cases of CZS. However, it is necessary to have available tests that could diagnose, in the first trimester of pregnancy, that the fetus has been affected by the virus, and that it may have important limitations, in order to subsidize the qualified discussion about abortion in these cases.

Resumo A emergência provocada na saúde pública internacional por causa do vírus Zika trouxe à tona a discussão do aborto em casos de síndrome congênita de Zika. Portanto, propomos a realização de uma revisão bibliográfica sobre o aborto nesses casos. Foram pesquisados cinco bancos de dados utilizando os seguintes termos: aborto, aborto espontâneo, e zika, com interposição do operador booleano "E". Na literatura selecionada, encontramos referências à falta de informações sobre os riscos e a gravidade da síndrome congénita de Zika, bemcomo ao grande sofrimento psicológico de mulheres grávidas e ao risco de aborto inseguro como justificativa para o aborto em casos de síndrome congênita de Zika. No entanto, é necessário ter testes disponíveis que possam diagnosticar, no primeiro trimestre da gravidez, que o feto foi afetada pelo vírus, e que ele pode ter limitações importantes, para subsidiar a discussão qualificada sobre o aborto nesses casos.

Hydrocephalus associated to congenital Zika syndrome: does shunting improve clinical features?

PURPOSE: Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) is a new entity with little information about its course and natural history. It is known that prenatal infection by Zika virus is associated to disrupted nervous system development, leading to typical neurological disabilities and deformities. Some children present progressive ventriculomegaly and hydrocephalus associated to aggravation of seizures and neurological impairment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the development of hydrocephalus and the impact of ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion in the clinical condition of these children. METHODS: Data was obtained from chart review, direct interviews with patients' parents, direct neurological examination, and analysis of pre- and postoperative neuroimages. RESULTS: A group of 115 patients had CZS diagnosis from November 2015 to July 2017. Among them, 21 (18.3%) patients had ventricular enlargement noted on follow-up CT scans. Six children (28.6%) underwent a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and all had some improvement after surgery concerning either waking time during the day and better interaction. Overall improvement was also noted in seizures. Spasticity decrease and more cervical control were also achieved. In two out of six cases, a slight increase in parenchymal length could be noted on the CT scans. CONCLUSION: This series points out the possibility of hypertensive hydrocephalus development in CZS patients. Affected children may benefit from VP shunt insertion. These findings suggest a dual pathology association: fetal brain disruption and primary cortical malformation by the virus itself and hypertensive hydrocephalus. This is already seen in some cases of congenital rubella, toxoplasmosis, or cytomegalovirus-associated hydrocephalus.

From the perception of a cluster of cases of children with microcephaly to congenital Zika syndrome in Brazil: the lessons we have learned and the challenges that lie ahead of us

A little more than a year ago, physicians and researchers from the northeastern region of Brazil raised the hypothesis of an association between microcephaly cases in newborns and a possible Zika virus infection in their mothers during pregnancy. Common phenotypic features called the attention of the discerning eyes of geneticists, already used to this type of observation [1]. In those cases, records of exanthematous disease during pregnancy were found in the anamnesis. Moreover, radiology images revealed findings that although resembled some other TORCH, they had their particularities in common. Initially, a recurrent pattern in computerized tomography of the skulls was described, which led physicians to classify the set of findings as the emergence of a new disease.(AU)