Prophylaxis
Partial brain amputation can hardly be prevented effectively, since the clinical pictures for which such an intervention can be performed are congenital or of unclear cause. Sturge Weber syndrome is based on a somatic mutation of a specific DNA sequence. The term “somatic” here describes the fact that the mutation did not occur in the germ cell of one parent, but only after fertilization during the development of the fetus or embryo.
For this reason, no accumulation of the disease within certain families can be observed, as is the case with so-called germline mutations. Here, the mutation already exists in the germ cell of one parent and is therefore passed on. The cause of Rasmussen’s encephalitis has not yet been conclusively clarified.
It is considered certain that this disease leads to a rapid, severe and sudden (fulminant) activation of the immune system in the brain. However, it is still unclear whether the structures attacked by the immune system are the body’s own structures or components of previously unidentified pathogens. As long as this question is not clarified, there is therefore no prospect of effective prophylaxis.
The fact that the prophylaxis of the mentioned diseases is practically impossible is invalidated by the extremely low frequency of the same. For example, only about one in one million people will develop Rasmussen’s encephalitis during their lifetime, while Sturge Weber syndrome occurs in about one in 40,000 births.
