Acute encephalitis - diagnosis and management

Ellul, Mark ORCID: 0000-0002-6115-8245 and Solomon, Tom ORCID: 0000-0001-7266-6547 (2018) Acute encephalitis - diagnosis and management. CLINICAL MEDICINE, 18 (2). pp. 155-159.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-155

Abstract

Encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, is most commonly caused by a viral infection (especially herpes simplex virus [HSV] type 1 in the UK) although autoimmune causes, such as N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibody encephalitis, are increasingly recognised. Most patients present with a change in consciousness level and may have fever, seizures, movement disorder or focal neurological deficits. Diagnosis hinges crucially on lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination, but imaging and electroencephalography (EEG) may also be helpful. Treatment of HSV encephalitis with aciclovir dramatically improves outcome, but the optimal management of autoimmune encephalitis is still uncertain. Many patients with encephalitis are left with residual physical or neuropsychological deficits which require long-term multidisciplinary management. Here we review assessment of patients with suspected encephalitis, general aspects of management and areas of ongoing research.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Brain, Humans, Encephalitis, Acute Disease, Biomedical Research
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	05 Aug 2020 15:21
Last Modified:	25 Dec 2023 04:54
DOI:	10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-155
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3096469