A 79 year old lady, who had been previously fit and well, presented with fever, acute confusion and aggression after a seizure. Her family said she had been her normal happy self the day before but she had been complaining of a headache. The doctors admitting her made a clinical diagnosis of encephalitis. A CT scan of the patients head was done to rule out raised intracranial pressure, and showed no abnormality. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from a lumbar puncture showed raised lymphocytes, high protein and normal glucose compared to serum glucose.
What are the clinical features of encephalitis?
Encephalitis is acute inflammation of the brain. It can present with a mixture of symptoms and signs including:
What are the clinical features of encephalitis?
Encephalitis is acute inflammation of the brain. It can present with a mixture of symptoms and signs including:
- Fever
- Headache
- Neck stiffness
- Decreased conscious level
- Confusion
- Seizures
- Focal neurological signs
- Personality change, hallucinations, aphasia (with HSV)
- Ophthalmic shingles (with VZV)
- Rash (with Enterovirus and Measles Virus)
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