Encephalitis

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Encephalitis (en-sef-uh-LIE-tis) is inflammation of the brain. There are several causes, but the most common is viral infection.

Encephalitis often causes only mild flu-like signs and symptoms — such as a fever or headache — or no symptoms at all. Sometimes the flu-like symptoms are more severe. Encephalitis can also cause confused thinking, seizures, or problems with senses or movement.

Rarely, encephalitis can be life-threatening. Timely diagnosis and treatment are important because it’s difficult to predict how encephalitis will affect each individual.

Encephalitis care at Mayo Clinic

One of the major signs of encephalitis in infants is bulging of the soft spots (fontanels) of the baby’s skull. Pictured here is the anterior fontanel. Other fontanels are found on the sides and back of an infant’s head.

Most people with viral encephalitis have mild flu-like symptoms, such as:

Sometimes the signs and symptoms are more severe, and might include:

In infants and young children, signs and symptoms might also include:

Get immediate care if you are experiencing any of the more-severe symptoms associated with encephalitis. Severe headache, fever and altered consciousness require urgent care.

Infants and young children with any signs or symptoms of encephalitis should receive urgent care.

The exact cause of encephalitis is often unknown. But when a cause is known, the most common is a viral infection. Bacterial infections and noninfectious inflammatory conditions also can cause encephalitis.

There are two main types of encephalitis:

When a mosquito bites an infected bird, the virus enters the mosquito’s bloodstream and eventually moves into its salivary glands. When an infected mosquito bites an animal or a human (host), the virus is passed into the host’s bloodstream, where it may cause serious illness.

The viruses that can cause encephalitis include:

Anyone can develop encephalitis. Factors that may increase the risk include:

The complications of encephalitis vary, depending on factors such as:

People with relatively mild illness usually recover within a few weeks with no long-term complications.

Inflammation can injure the brain, possibly resulting in coma or death.

Other complications — varying greatly in severity — may persist for months or be permanent. These complications can include:

The best way to prevent viral encephalitis is to take precautions to avoid exposure to viruses that can cause the disease. Try to:

To minimize your exposure to mosquitoes and ticks:

Insect repellents aren’t recommended for use on infants younger than 2 months of age. Instead, cover an infant carrier or stroller with mosquito netting.

For older infants and children, repellents with 10 to 30 percent DEET are considered safe. Products containing both DEET and sunscreen aren’t recommended for children because reapplication — which might be necessary for the sunscreen component — will expose the child to too much DEET.

Tips for using mosquito repellent with children include:

Encephalitis care at Mayo Clinic

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Encephalitis

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