Fifteen minute consultation: managing neonatal and childhood herpes encephalitis

Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is the most common single cause of viral encephalitis in infants and children. Treated or untreated, it can be associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, and its presentation is usually insidious and non-specific. Prompt and careful investigation is impor...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Archives of disease in childhood. Education and practice edition Vol. 100; no. 2; p. 58
Main Authors:	Le Doare, K, Menson, Esse, Patel, Deepak, Lim, Ming, Lyall, Hermione, Herberg, Jethro
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England 01-04-2015
Subjects:	Acyclovir - therapeutic use Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use Child Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex - diagnosis Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex - drug therapy Female Herpesvirus 1, Human - pathogenicity Herpesvirus 2, Human - pathogenicity Humans Infant Infant, Newborn Male Neonatology Neurology Infectious Diseases Immunology Evidence Based Medicine
Online Access:	Get more information
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is the most common single cause of viral encephalitis in infants and children. Treated or untreated, it can be associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, and its presentation is usually insidious and non-specific. Prompt and careful investigation is important in order to establish the diagnosis so that treatment can be optimised. We address some common questions arising when diagnosing and treating presumed HSE throughout childhood.
ISSN:	1743-0593
DOI:	10.1136/archdischild-2014-306321