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ACUTE ENCEPHALITIS SYNDROME IN CHILDREN: A DESCRIPTIVE CROSSSECTIONAL STUDY IN A RURAL BASED TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN INDIA

Background: Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) is a group of clinically similar neurologic manifestations due to encephalitis. AES is an
important cause of mortality and morbidity in children in various parts of India. Most of the study has been done in adult population. So, I have done
this study to evaluate clinical prole, short-term outcome and changing trends of etiologies of acute encephalitis in children.
Methods: This is an institution-based descriptive cross-sectional study including sixty children aged one month to twelve years conducted over a
period of one and half years in the pediatric department of a rural based medical college in India. Data collected in predesigned case record
proforma and analysed with SPSS software version 25.
Results: Incidence rate 4 per 1000 patients per year with 2 to 6 years age group with males predominating. Important presenting complaints were
fever, convulsion, abnormal behavior, rash, vomiting, headache, lethargy, aphasia and quadriparesis. Poor Glasgow coma score (GCS), meningeal
sign and raised intra cranial pressure were important examination ndings. Dengue and scrub typhus were important emerging etiologies replacing
Japanese encephalitis. Overall mortality is around 13%.
Conclusions:All febrile children with altered sensorium should be investigated for central nervous system (CNS) infection, unless clear evidence
of another diagnosis. Viruses are the main culprit with Dengue and Scrub typhus being the important emerging etiology. Timely diagnosis and
treatment can reduce morbidity and mortality signicantly.