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Research Paper | Pediatrics | Albania | Volume 11 Issue 12, December 2022

Acute Encephalitides: Spectrum of Etiologies in 12 Pediatric Patients

Aida Bushati ^[6] | Kristi Aleksi ^[3] | Aferdita Tako Kumaraku ^[2] | Armand Shehu ^[4]

Abstract: Background: Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain parenchyma caused by various infectious and non-infectious etiologies. Aims: To describe etiologies, clinical presentations, and outcomes of patients with acute encephalitis of various etiologies. Methods:We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of pediatric patients diagnosed with acute encephalitis at Mother Teresa University Hospital Center, Tirana, Albania between May 2018 and July 2019. Results: In this study, we included 12 patients (9 males and 3 females) with a median age of 4 years (range 1-12 years). Etiologies included (i) infectious encephalitis (n=5): herpes simplex virus type 1 (n=3), varicella-zoster virus (n=1), human herpes virus 6 (n=1); (ii) immune-mediated encephalitis (n=3): acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (n=1), anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibody encephalitis (n=1), anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody encephalitis (n=1); and encephalitis of non-identified origin (n=4). Out of 12 patients, 9 were responsive to the first-line therapy, while in 3 others second-line therapy was necessary. Good outcome at discharge was achieved by all patients. The mortality rate was 0. Conclusions: Diagnosis anddifferential diagnosis between viral and immune-mediated encephalitides in pediatric patients is often challenging; although viral etiologies are the most prevalent, autoimmunity should always be considered as a cause, therefore evaluated.

Keywords: acute encephalitis, infectious encephalitis, viral encephalitis, immune-mediated encephalitis, autoimmune encephalitis, encephalitides

Edition: Volume 11 Issue 12, December 2022,

Pages: 646 - 649

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