Encephalomyelitis with Abdominal Signs Observed at a Hospital in the Okayama Prefecture Part 1. Incidences and Clinical Synptoms

The total 23 cases were diagnosed as encephalomyelitis with abdominal disturbances in the Ibara districts from January, 1966 till August, 1967. Observations were made on incidences and characteristic clinical symptoms of the disease. 1. The number of the patients of adult females was greatest and more than twice as that of males. Onset of the disease was mostly found in the warm season. At present, particular age difference was not discernible in the incidences. 2. The patients with the disease were at first observed around 1965 and the number of those has a tendency to increase. 3. Characteristics of clinical manifestations were as follows: (a) Abdominal pain and constipation were frequent as prodromal signs, whereas diarrhea was not frequent. The tender point at the abdominal wall was located approximately at D(10). (b) As encephalomyelic nervous disorders at the lower limbs, a majority of the cases exhibited disturbance of foct flexicn, tenderness and contraction of thigh adductor muscles. Ataxia, together with subjective and objective sensory disturbances as well as increased patellar reflex, was observed in all cases. By contrast, disorders at the upper limbs were not common. As optic nerve disturvances, about 40% of the cases showed weakness of vision, narrowness of visual field, etc.