Consequences of encephalitis in adults and children

Encephalitis is a viral or infectious disease that affects the brain. The causes of the ailment are varied, and the consequences are sometimes unpredictable. Any person, regardless of sex and age, should take preventive measures that reduce the likelihood of the appearance of the disease.

How dangerous is encephalitis?

In case of a disease, the immune system receives erroneous signals and begins to attack its own cells. The development of inflammation occurs very quickly, treatment is carried out exclusively in the hospital( sometimes in the intensive care unit).

Consequences of encephalitis are unpredictable - at best there comes a complete recovery, at worst - a fatal outcome. Even if the treatment is completed successfully, the rehabilitation process may take several months or even years.

Who is at risk?

No one is immune from a dangerous disease, but more often it affects children and older people. This is due to the fact that their immune system is weakened. For the same reason, people at risk are people with cancer, HIV-infected, etc.

In the spring and summer, with the appearance of ticks and mosquitoes, amateurs of outdoor activities are also at risk. The causes of

Encephalitis may be primary or secondary. In the first case, the causative agent immediately penetrates into the cells of the brain. In the second - the defeat of brain cells occurs as a complication of an already existing disease.

Primary encephalitis pathogens:

• virus: herpes, Epstein-Barra, rabies, arbovirus( transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes);
• bacteria.

Secondary encephalitis pathogens:

• viruses: measles, smallpox, influenza, HIV, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough;
• vaccines against measles, rubella, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus( including DTP vaccine);
• bacteria;
• parasites.

Sometimes the appearance of encephalitis provokes allergens or toxic substances, but these are isolated cases.

The first reaction of the organism to the causative agent

After the end of the incubation period( it can last up to 20 days), symptoms appear that make it difficult to diagnose encephalitis, since they accompany a variety of diseases.

These include:

• lethargy, apathy;
• insomnia;
• loss of appetite;
• aches in muscles and joints;
• elevated body temperature;
• redness on the body;
• diarrhea.

Depending on the type of pathogen, some of the symptoms may be more severe than others. In rare cases, the affected person does not feel any changes in the body.

Symptoms of

There are the following subgroups of symptoms of encephalitis:

• cerebral;
• focal.

To cerebrovascular symptoms include:

• loss of consciousness - it can be both short-term and leading to coma;
• headache is a symptom that accompanies the development of encephalitis in almost all cases. It does not have a certain character and localization, its main feature is the gradual strengthening of the pain syndrome up to the intolerable;
• nausea - often accompanied by vomiting, not bringing relief;
• epileptic seizures - appear almost immediately;
• mental disorders - the patient becomes unnecessarily emotional, does not always control his behavior;Overexcitement increases, leading to hallucinations and bouts of delirium;
• exacerbation of sensitivity - fear of light and noise, touching the skin becomes painful.

To focal symptoms include:

• difficult motor activity up to impossibility to move a hand or a foot;
• violation or complete loss of sensitivity - the patient is unable to distinguish hot from cold, to recognize the nature of the touch;
• violation of the function of the speech device - from difficult speech to the complete loss of the ability to reproduce sounds;
• impossibility to read and write;
• impaired coordination - lack of confidence in walking, it is impossible at first attempt to take any object in hand;
• hearing impairment;
• disturbed perception of the surrounding world - long objects seem short, large - small, etc.;
• sudden muscle cramps in any part of the body;
• involuntary acts of urination and bowel movement;
• violation of face symmetry;
• psychoemotional disorders.

In each case, the symptoms manifest themselves in different ways. The disease is not always accompanied by all of the above signs.

Diagnostic measures

For an accurate diagnosis it is necessary to undergo a survey including:

• examination of a neurologist;
• blood test;
• study of cerebrospinal fluid( cerebrospinal fluid);
• computed tomography;
• electroencephalography.

Consequences of the disease in adults

The age of the patient and severity of the disease are the main factors influencing the appearance and nature of the consequences after encephalitis. With the timely diagnosis of the disease, the probability of successful treatment is significantly increased.

The situation when the disease develops without pronounced symptoms is extremely dangerous. The person does not feel a strong discomfort, meanwhile, the inflammation spreads to the cells of the brain with great speed.

In this case, it is impossible to predict the severity of the effects of encephalitis in adults, there may be:

• a constant feeling of fatigue;
• difficulty concentrating;
• personality changes;
• memory loss - complete or partial, after its restoration throughout life can occur short-term failures;
• impaired coordination, even to the inability to perform limb movements of the body;
• psychoemotional disorders, sometimes - full disability;
• disorders in the work of the senses.

The most dangerous consequences of encephalitis are those caused by degenerative changes in brain nerve cells. They inevitably lead to disability, often to a fatal outcome.

In each individual case, complications are unpredictable. The situation is complicated by the fact that at the first stage of the disease a person does not attach any importance to the symptoms, considering them a manifestation of a cold.

Self-medication and unwillingness to go to a medical institution lead to death - sometimes encephalitis completely destroys brain cells in a short time.

Consequences of encephalitis in children

If the child becomes restless, his sleep worsened, vomiting, headache, redness on the skin, an ambulance team should be called immediately.

The course of the disease in children may be asymptomatic, often the first signs are taken for influenza. When they appear, parents should be safe to avoid threatening the child's life.

The common consequences of encephalitis in children are:

• muscle atrophy;
• mental retardation;
• mental disorders;
• hearing and vision impairment;
• epileptic seizures;
• difficult speech.

There are situations when a child who has suffered a severe form of encephalitis has no negative consequences, but the likelihood of a lethal outcome is very high.

Preventative measures

The spring-summer period is the time of activity of ticks that are carriers of arbovirus. Currently, the disease, provoked by their bites, is of a massive nature. The most common consequence of tick-borne encephalitis in adults and children is disability. Protection from it is vaccination. When you are in places of a large cluster of mites( for example, in the forest) you need to use repellent repellents, carefully cover the skin with clothing and shoes.

Timely vaccination should be performed against measles, diphtheria, tetanus, rubella, etc.( postvaccinal encephalitis is much less common than that that develops against the background of these diseases).

Special attention should be paid to the already existing diseases - to avoid complications, by starting competent and timely therapy.

Below you can see the tick in the photo. The consequences of encephalitis, which it causes, are often terrible;among those who suffered a high percentage of death.

Recovery period

Encephalitis can cause both short-term effects and those that will accompany the rest of life. On average, with a mild form of the disease, the body is restored in 1-2 months, at an average - for 3-4 months, heavy - for several years.

People who have experienced a dangerous ailment are shown sanatorium treatment, the consequences of encephalitis after it are less pronounced or retreat altogether.

Rehabilitation centers are provided with the following types of care:

• curative gymnastics;
• carrying out physiotherapy;
• wellness massage;
• kinesiotherapy;
• hirudotherapy;
• ergotherapy.

A program is prepared for each case, including the necessary measures. A qualified physician works with a person: a psychologist, an ophthalmologist, an otorhinolaryngologist, a speech therapist. There are cases when the patient "learns to live" again - to walk, read, write, eat, and conduct a dialogue.

Encephalitis is a dangerous disease that rapidly destroys the cells of the brain. Symptoms and consequences of encephalitis often have a pronounced character, when the first signs of a person's illness appear, one must immediately be hospitalized in a medical institution. Timely treatment begun significantly increases the probability of successful recovery from the disease without the occurrence of consequences.