Encephalitis: Early Signs and When to Seek Help
Encephalitis is a serious medical condition. This refers to inflammation in the brain that starts to swell. Infections like bacterial and viral are responsible for encephalitis. This medical condition may also emerge due to the body’s immune system fighting against itself. Encephalitis is a medical condition that can quickly turn life-threatening. This condition initially manifests in the way the flu manifests: through fever, general fatigue and weakness, headache, and complete body pain. Since this condition affects the brain, other symptoms that can show up are mental confusion, sensitivity to light and stiff neck. Let us learn more about this medical condition! In this blog, we will explore the encephalitis symptoms, understand the ways it can be treated, and some ways to prevent it.
Causes of Encephalitis
- Infectious Encephalitis: This type of encephalitis occurs through a viral or bacterial infection. It could also be caused by fungus and parasites. While bacterial, fungal, and parasitic causes of encephalitis are rare, viral encephalitis is common. It can be passed by mosquitos and ticks, and it could also be caused by the rabies virus, herpes, etc. Infectious encephalitis can be widespread or affect a specific part of the brain.
- Autoimmune Encephalitis: Autoimmune encephalitis occurs when the immune system attacks the brain. This happens when the immune system makes antibodies that work against the body by targeting to destroy proteins and receptors in the brain. This causes inflammation in the brain, which can manifest as neurological and psychiatric encephalitis symptoms like mental confusion, seizures, abnormal movements, memory loss, and changes in one’s behaviour. Autoimmune encephalitis symptoms can progress rapidly and threaten the person’s life.
Risk Factors
Age: Infants and the elderly are more likely to suffer from encephalitis, and they are more vulnerable to viral encephalitis. Young children who have not been given the proper vaccinations at the proper time are at a higher risk of developing infections like measles and mumps, which can then lead to encephalitis.
Poor Immune System: Immunocompromised individuals are most at risk of developing encephalitis. People suffering from HIV/AIDS or those who have undergone cancer treatments are more likely to get encephalitis because of their weakened immune systems.
Geographical Regions:
In some places where mosquitoes and ticks are rampant, viral encephalitis is more likely to be spread.
Seasonal Risks:
When people spend more time outdoors, engaging in activities like hiking, fishing, camping, and living near still water at night can all increase the risk and chance of contracting viral encephalitis. In addition, lodgings lacking screens, air conditioning, or bed nets may put you at greater risk of mosquito exposure if you travel or visit a new place.
Autoimmune Disease:
Certain autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, can increase the risk of encephalitis. The chances of acquiring the disease are greater if the person with the condition has also undergone immunosuppressive therapy.
Early Signs and Encephalitis Symptoms
- Mild Symptoms: Mild encephalitis symptoms include a low—or high-grade fever coupled with headache, a general feeling of weakness, fatigue, or tiredness. The headache can sometimes be more severe, as encephalitis causes swelling and inflammation in the brain.
- Neurological Symptoms: Neurological encephalitis symptoms include disorientation or confusion, seizures, memory problems, and difficulty thinking clearly. Other symptoms include sensitivity to light, difficulty waking up with extreme tiredness, and stiff neck.
- Behavioural Changes: The infection changes the brain chemistry, which could lead to a range of encephalitis symptoms, such as irritability, unexplained anger, restlessness, becoming more aggressive and withdrawn, personality changes, and feeling more agitated.
When to Seek Medical Help?
It is important to seek medical help once you recognise mild neurological encephalitis symptoms. If you or your loved one belong to the vulnerable group, that is, infants, the elderly, or those with weakened immune systems, it is crucial that you get yourself tested and treated as soon as possible. Getting immediate medical help from a professional is important as it allows prompt treatment before the condition progresses, can help reduce the risk of long-term complications, and can improve outcomes significantly.
Diagnosis and Treatment:
The various methods to diagnose encephalitis are:
Spinal Tap or Lumbar Puncture: In this procedure, used for encephalitis treatment by diagnosis, the doctor inserts a needle into your lower back and collects cerebrospinal fluid to check for signs of infection or inflammation.
Brain Imaging with CT Scan or MRI: These methods of diagnosis, which use brain imaging, can detect changes in the brain’s structure.
Electroencephalograph (EEG): An electroencephalograph is a device that uses metal discs with wires to determine the patterns of your brain activity. The virus that causes encephalitis may not be detected with an EEG, but recognising the patterns can help understand the affected areas in the brain and the source of encephalitis symptoms.
Brain Biopsy: In a brain biopsy procedure, a small sample of your brain tissue is taken for screening encephalitis. Since this is an invasive surgery, it should only be done if all other options have been exhausted and the patient’s health is rapidly getting worse.
The different treatment methods include:
Different methods are considered for encephalitis treatment. It entirely depends on the type of encephalitis or its source; if the disease is viral, then antiviral medications can help treat it. If encephalitis is caused due to compromised immunity, then therapies like intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) or plasmapheresis are used to improve the immune response. Apart from this, ample rest and painkillers to reduce and help cope with the brain inflammation are also given to the patient. Rehabilitation in the form of speech therapy and physical and occupational therapy is also used to help the patient recover in the long term and be a functional member of society.
Conclusion:
Immunisations against diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella that can be prevented can lower the risk of encephalitis. Keeping oneself clean and maintaining proper hygienic practices is also useful to lower the chance of infection. It is also important to know and raise awareness of viruses spread by mosquitoes in endemic regions. Although this condition is not preventable, you can take measures to help decrease the risk of contracting the disease.
