Document Type
Article
Department
Community Health Sciences
Abstract
Objective: To devise a set of clinical signs and laboratory parameters that would help clinicians assess prognosis in patients and plan appropriate management.Methods: Medical records of 147 paediatric cases (with a discharge diagnosis of acute viral encephalitis) admitted over a ten year period from 1987 to 1997 were reviewed and relevant information collected on a data extraction form.Results: Of 147 patients, 24 (16.3%) died and 48 (32.7%) were left with severe neurological deficits. A GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) score between 6-10 had an association with poor outcome (OR = 2.62, Chi-square = 5.57, p-value = 0.018) and that a GCS score of > or = 5 was even more strongly suggestive of poor outcome (OR = 5.49, Chi-square = 12.08, p-value = 0.0005). A history of having seizures, for more than 3 days, also showed a strong association with poor outcome (OR = 3.66, Chi-square = 5.46, p-value = 0.019).CONCLUSION: Patients with an increased risk of death and severe disability can be identified using a few guidelines. Of these, a history of seizures of > 3 days and/or impaired consciousness (GCS < or = 10), at the time of presentation to the hospital, constitute high risk. These cases must be identified promptly and aggressive therapy initiated in order to improve long term outcome.
Publication (Name of Journal)
Journal of Pakistan Medical Association
Recommended Citation
Bhutto, E.,
Naim, M.,
Ehtesham, M.,
Rehman, M.,
Siddique, M. A.,
Jehan, I.
(1999). Prognostic indicators of childhood acute viral encephalitis. Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, 49(12), 311-316.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_chs_chs/642
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.