Herpes Simplex Encephalitis: A Case Report
David Zahirović 1 * , Ema Dejhalla 2 , Tina Zavidić 3 4
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1 Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Health Centers, Rijeka, Croatia2 Medical Centre for Occupational Health, Rijeka, Croatia3 Family Medicine Specialist, Istrian Health Centers, Pazin, Croatia4 University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) is an acute or subacute illness associated with focal or global cerebral dysfunction. It is caused by herpes simplex viruses belonging to either type 1(HSV-1) or type 2(HSV-2). Most of HSVE is caused by HSV-1. The most common manifestations include encephalopathy, fever, seizures, headaches, and focal neurological deficits.
49-year-old patient who has diabetes mellitus type 1, first presented with a fever, followed by a generalized epileptic seizure. In the Emergency Room a lumbar puncture was performed, and HSV-1 was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid. MR of the brain concluded that the changes correspond to the changes within HSV-1 encephalitis with a smaller area of ​​hemorrhage. The patient was prescribed with acyclovir 3×10 mg/kg i.v. for three weeks. After antiviral therapy and glycemic control, the patient was discharged with antiepileptic, antihypertensive, antiulcer and antidiabetic drugs and indication to do a control EEG and infectologist exam with laboratory findings.
HSVE has high morbidity and mortality, and the treatment of choice is acyclovir therapy.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Case Report

J CLIN EXP INVEST, Volume 13, Issue 2, June 2022, Article No: em00796

https://doi.org/10.29333/jcei/11831

Publication date: 03 Mar 2022

Article Views: 3037

Article Downloads: 944

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