Encephalitis

• Original Editor - User Name
  Top Contributors - Kehinde Fatola, Lucinda hampton, Kim Jackson and Nupur Smit Shah

Introduction

Encephalitis is a very severe infection caused by the inflammation of the brain tissues. When encephalitis occur with meningitis, it is called meningoencephalitis. It is caused either as a direct infection or a sequela of a pre-existing conditio

Causes

Encephalitis is caused by any of the following factors;

• Viral infection, e.g rabies virus, HSV, poliovirus, mealses virus, bunyavirus, reovirus, etc
• Bacterial infection, e.g mycoplasma, Lyme disease, Bartonella henselae, malaria, etc can result in encephalitis especially in immuno-compromised individuals.

Clinical Presentation

An adult infected with the disease typically present with;

• Headache
• Confusion
• Fever
• Drowsiness
• Fatigue
• Seizures or convulsions
• Tremors
• Stroke
• Hallucinations
• Memory problems

An infant may present with;

• Irritability
• Poor appetite
• Fever

Diagnostic Procedures

Encephalitis can be diagnosed using any of the following procedures;

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to detect the inflammation
• Electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor the electrical activity of the brain
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
• Urine analysis
• Blood test

Outcome Measures

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Management / Interventions

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Differential Diagnosis

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Resources

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