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Viral Encephalitis

Viral Encephalitis. By: Alan Gooden. What is Viral Encephalitis?. Encephalitis literally means “inflammation of the brain” but it usually results from a viral infection.

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Viral Encephalitis

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  1. Viral Encephalitis By: Alan Gooden

  2. What is Viral Encephalitis? • Encephalitis literally means “inflammation of the brain” but it usually results from a viral infection. • Encephalitis occurs in two forms — a primary form and a secondary form. Primary encephalitis involves direct viral infection of your brain and spinal cord. In secondary encephalitis, a viral infection first occurs somewhere in your body and then travels to your brain.

  3. Causes • Usually a result of viral infections passed between humans, or from contact with infected animals or insects. • Viruses that cause this include the West Nile virus, herpes viruses, and rabies. • It can develop 5 to 10 days after a childhood illness such as chickenpox, measles, mumps, polio, etc or, on rare occasions, occur weeks, months, or years after the initial viral infection.

  4. Symptoms • fever, headache, sensitivity to light, confusion, decreased level of consciousness • Most people only have mild, often flu-like symptoms. In some cases, people might not have any symptoms. • More serious infections can cause: hallucinations, personality changes, double vision, muscle weakness, and seizures. • In infants, the bulging of the fontanels is the main symptom of viral encephalitis.

  5. Area of Nervous System Affected • It can arise in the brain and directly attack the brain and spinal cord. • The virus can travel to the nervous system after beginning somewhere else in the body.

  6. Who is affected? • Older people and younger children are at a greater risk of serious disease and death from West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis. • California encephalitis poses a greater danger to children under 15 years of age. • Having a weakened immune system puts you at risk for many types of encephalitis.

  7. Prognosis • Episodes last about one to three weeks, with fever and symptoms that gradually or suddenly subside. • However, it may take months for you to fully recover.

  8. Treatment • Encephalitis requires immediate emergency care so that diagnosis and treatment can begin as soon as possible. • Plenty of rest, liquids, and Tylenol are used to treat mild cases. • More serious cases call for the use of anti-viral and anti-inflammatory drugs.

  9. Resources • http://www.pdrhealth.com/disease/disease-mono.aspx?contentFileName=BHG01ID01.xml&contentName=Viral+Encephalitis&contentId=159&sectionMonograph=ht1 • http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/encephalitis/DS00226

  10. Other Info • The most common insect-borne encephalitis in the U.S. is St. Louis encephalitis. • The St. Louis encephalitis virus is transmitted by mosquitoes which bite humans thus causing West Nile. • The Herpes Virus is the main cause of many encephalitis cases.

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