JC virus can trigger deadly brain disease in chronic kidney disease patients, case study reveals
A case study reports progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) caused by JC virus activation in a 72-year-old patient with stage-5 CKD, suggesting CKD can create noncanonical immunosuppression that predisposes to JC virus–related brain damage. The JC virus is common and usually latent but can reactivate to destroy brain myelin, diagnosed by MRI lesions and JC virus DNA in CSF; the patient died two days after diagnosis, highlighting the seriousness of PML in CKD as CKD prevalence rises.
