Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Dec 15;335(1-2):201-3.
doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2013.09.032. Epub 2013 Sep 29.

Acute leukoencephalopathy due to pyrimethamine. An insight into methotrexate neurotoxicity?

Thomas de Broucker  1 , Delphine Leclercq, Sergio Jarquin, Carole Henry
Affiliations

Acute leukoencephalopathy due to pyrimethamine. An insight into methotrexate neurotoxicity?

Thomas de Broucker et al. J Neurol Sci. .

Abstract

A unique case of pyrimethamine-related stroke-like leukoencephalopathy is described. The imputability of the drug is discussed as well as the similarities with the well-known methotrexate neurotoxicity. Owing to the same mode of action of both drugs by inhibition of the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, this case is highly suggestive of the pathogenetic role of methylation pathway blockade on myelin synthesis resulting in delayed demyelination. This complication could be avoided by a concurrent folinic acid supplementation.

Keywords: Drug toxicity; Folinic acid; Leukoencephalopathy; Methotrexate; Myelin synthesis; Pyrimethamine.

PubMed Disclaimer