Leigh syndrome or
subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy is a rare, rapidly progressive
neurodegenerative disorder. In general, symptoms such as
shortness of breath and decreased cardiac function usually occur within 1 year of
life. It is a serious
disease with a mortality rate of 75% in 2–3 years. The cause of
Leigh syndrome is
DNA mutation. Approximately 75% of
patients have nuclear
DNA mutations while 25% have
mitochondrial DNA mutations. Clinical symptoms vary depending on the affected
brain area.
Neuroimaging plays an important
role in diagnosing
patients with
Leigh syndrome. Late-onset
Leigh syndrome is rarer and progresses more slowly compared to the classic form. Here, we
report a case of late-onset Leigh's
syndrome mimicking
Wernicke's encephalopathy.