1043-3155 Pediatr Neurol Briefs pedneurbriefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs Pediatric Neurology Briefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs 2166-6482 1043-3155 2166-3155 Pediatric Neurology Briefs Publishers Chicago, IL, USA PNB-12-78 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-12-10-9 Infectious Disorders Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant Influenza-Associated Acute Encephalitis http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-7931 Millichap J. Gordon MD 1 2 * Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, E-mail: jgmillichap@northwestern.edu 10 1998 01 05 2016 12 10 78 79 Copyright: © 1998 The Author(s) 1998 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. PCR on cerebrospinal fluid to show influenza-associated acute encephalopathy or encephalitis

Ten patients with acute encephalopathy or encephalitis associated with influenza-like illness, admitted to hospitals in Nagoya, Japan, during 12 months, 1996-97, mainly mid-winter, had cerebrospinal fluid examined by PCR for influenza A and B.

 Influenza-Associated Encephalopathy or Encephalitis Cerebrospinal Fluid Viral Encephalitis

Ten patients with acute encephalopathy or encephalitis associated with influenza-like illness, admitted to hospitals in Nagoya, Japan, during 12 months, 1996-97, mainly mid-winter, had cerebrospinal fluid examined by PCR for influenza A and B. Seven patients, aged 2 to 4 years, had generalized convulsions within 2 days of fever onset and evidence of recent influenza infection, type-A/Hong Kong (H3N2) in 6 and type B in 1. PCR for influenza A was positive in the csf of 5 patients. Two died, one had sequelae, and 4 recovered without complications. One child had clinical features similar to Reye’s syndrome. [1]

COMMENT. An outbreak of influenza-associated encephalopathy or encephalitis in the winter of 1996-97 in Nagoya, Japan, was mainly due to type A. Direct viral involvement of the central nervous system was confirmed by positive PCR results in the cerebrospinal fluid. The clinical profiles of this outbreak were different from most previous epidemics.

Viral encephalitis, especially influenza, during pregnancy and early childhood is a potential and possibly overlooked factor in the cause of the ADHD syndrome. [2]

Fujimoto S Kobayashi M Uemura O Iwasa M Ando T Katoh T PCR on cerebrospinal fluid to show influenza-associated acute encephalopathy or encephalitis Lancet 1998 Sep 352 9131 873 875 10.1016/S0140-6736(98)12449-2 9742980 Millichap JG Encephalitis virus and ADHD JRSM Letter to the editor 1997 Dec 90 12 709 710 9496308