Encephalitis is a viral or infectious disease that affects the brain. The causes of the disease are diverse, and the consequences are sometimes unpredictable. Any person, regardless of gender and age, must follow preventive measures that reduce the likelihood of the disease.
How dangerous is encephalitis?
With a disease, the immune system receives erroneous signals and begins an attack of its own cells. The development of inflammation occurs very quickly, treatment is carried out exclusively in a hospital (sometimes in the intensive care unit).
The consequences of encephalitis are unpredictable - in the best case, a full recovery occurs, in the worst - a fatal outcome. Even if the treatment is successful, the rehabilitation process can drag on for several months or even years.
Who is at risk?
Not a single person is safe from a dangerous disease, but more often children and the elderly are exposed to it. This is due to the fact that their immune system is weakened. For the same reason, people with cancer, HIV-infected, etc. are at risk.
In the spring-summer period, with the advent of ticks and mosquitoes, outdoor enthusiasts are also at risk.
Causes of occurrence
Encephalitis can be primary or secondary. In the first case, the pathogen immediately enters the brain cells. In the second, damage to brain cells occurs as a complication of an existing disease.
The causative agents of primary encephalitis:
- viruses: herpes, Epstein-Barr, rabies, arbovirus (transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes);
- bacteria.
The causative agents of secondary encephalitis:
- viruses: measles, chickenpox, influenza, HIV, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis;
- vaccines against measles, rubella, pertussis, 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 body to the pathogen
After the end of the incubation period (it can last up to 20 days), symptoms appear that make it difficult to diagnose encephalitis, because they accompany many diseases.
These include:
- lethargy, apathy;
- insomnia;
- loss of appetite;
- aching muscles and joints;
- fever;
- redness on the body;
- diarrhea.
Depending on the type of pathogen, some symptoms may appear stronger than others. In rare cases, the patient does not feel any changes in the body.
Symptoms
The following subgroups of symptoms of encephalitis are:
To cerebral symptoms include:
- loss of consciousness - it can be either short-term or comatose;
- headache - a sign that accompanies the development of encephalitis in almost all cases. It does not have a specific character and localization, its main feature is the gradual intensification of the pain syndrome, even intolerable;
- nausea - often it is accompanied by vomiting, which does not bring relief;
- epileptic seizures - appear almost immediately;
- mental disorders - the patient becomes overly emotional, does not always control his behavior; overexcitation increases, leading to hallucinations and attacks of delirium;
- aggravation of sensitivity - fear of light and noise, touching the skin become painful.
Focal symptoms include:
- impaired motor activity up to the inability to move a hand or foot;
- violation or complete loss of sensitivity - the patient is not able to distinguish between hot and cold, to recognize the nature of the touch;
- violation of the function of the speech apparatus - from difficult speech to a complete loss of the ability to reproduce sounds;
- inability to read and write;
- violation of coordination - lack of confidence when walking, it is impossible on the first attempt to take any object in his hand;
- hearing impairment;
- impaired perception of the world around us - long objects seem short, large ones seem small, etc .;
- sudden muscle cramps in any part of the body;
- involuntary urination and bowel movements;
- violation of facial symmetry;
- psycho-emotional disorders.
In each case, the symptoms manifest themselves in different ways. The disease is not always accompanied by all of the above symptoms.
Diagnostic measures
For an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to undergo an examination, including:
- examination by a neurologist;
- blood analysis;
- study of cerebrospinal fluid (cerebrospinal fluid);
- computed tomography;
- electroencephalography.
Consequences of the disease in adults
The patient's age and severity of the disease are the main factors affecting the appearance and nature of the consequences after encephalitis. With timely diagnosis of the disease, the likelihood of successful treatment is significantly increased.
Extremely dangerous is the situation when the ailment develops without pronounced symptoms. A person does not feel severe discomfort, meanwhile, inflammation spreads to brain cells at a high speed.
In this case, it is impossible to predict the severity of the consequences of encephalitis in adults, the following may occur:
- constant feeling of tiredness;
- difficulty concentrating;
- personality changes;
- memory loss - full or partial, after its recovery throughout life can occur short-term failures;
- violation of coordination up to the inability to make movements with the limbs of the body;
- psycho-emotional disorders, sometimes - complete disability;
- disturbances 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 death.
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 symptoms to symptoms, considering them a manifestation of a common cold.
Self-medication and reluctance to contact a medical institution lead to death - sometimes encephalitis in a short time completely destroys brain cells.
The effects of encephalitis in children
If the child became restless, his sleep worsened, vomiting, headache, and redness appeared on the skin; an ambulance crew should be called immediately.
The course of the disease in children can be asymptomatic, more often the first signs are mistaken for an influenza state. When they appear, parents are better off playing safe so as not to endanger the life of the child.
Common effects of encephalitis in children are:
- muscle tissue atrophy;
- mental retardation;
- mental disorders;
- hearing and vision impairment;
- epileptic seizures;
- difficulty speaking.
There are situations when a child who has had a severe form of encephalitis has no negative consequences, but the likelihood of a fatal 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 massive. The most common consequence of tick-borne encephalitis in adults and children is disability. Protection against it is vaccination. When in places of a large accumulation of ticks (for example, in the forest), repellent sprays should be used, carefully cover the skin with clothing and shoes.
Timely vaccination should be carried out against measles, diphtheria, tetanus, rubella, etc. (vaccine encephalitis is much less common than the one that develops against the background of these diseases).
Particular attention should be paid to existing diseases - to prevent complications by starting competent and timely therapy.
Below is a tick in the photo. The effects of encephalitis that it causes are often dire; among patients a high percentage of deaths.
Recovery period
Encephalitis can cause both short-term consequences and those that will accompany the rest of your life. On average, with a mild form of the disease, the body recovers in 1-2 months, with an average in 3-4 months, severe in a few years.
People who have survived a dangerous ailment are shown spa treatment, the consequences of encephalitis after it are less pronounced or recede altogether.
The following types of assistance are provided in rehabilitation centers:
- physiotherapy;
- physiotherapy;
- wellness massage;
- kinesiotape;
- hirudotherapy;
- ergotherapy.
For each case, a program is drawn up that includes the necessary measures. Qualified doctors work with a person: psychologist, ophthalmologist, ENT specialist, speech therapist. There are times when the patient "learns to live" again - to walk, read, write, eat, have a dialogue.
Encephalitis is a dangerous disease that rapidly destroys brain cells. Symptoms and consequences of encephalitis are often pronounced, with the appearance of the first signs of a person’s disease, you must immediately be hospitalized in a medical institution. Timely treatment started significantly increases the likelihood of successfully getting rid of the disease without causing consequences.