encephalitis

Also known as brain inflammation, brainitis

Encephalitis (, ) is inflammation of the brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, aphasia, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include seizures, hallucinations, trouble speaking, memory problems, and problems with hearing.

AI overview

Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain that can cause a range of symptoms from headache and fever to confusion and loss of consciousness. It matters because the condition can lead to serious complications like seizures, memory problems, and speech difficulties, making prompt medical attention important.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Medical condition (new).name: Encephalitis
Medical condition (new).image: Hsv_encephalitis.jpg
Medical condition (new).caption: MRI scan image shows high signal in the temporal lobes and right inferior frontal gyrus in someone with herpes simplex encephalitis.
Medical condition (new).field: Neurology, infectious disease
Medical condition (new).symptoms: Headache, fever, confusion, stiff neck, vomiting
Medical condition (new).complications: Seizures, trouble speaking, memory problems, problems hearing
Medical condition (new).duration: Weeks to months for recovery
Medical condition (new).causes: Infection, autoimmune, certain medication, unknown
Medical condition (new).types: Herpes simplex, West Nile, rabies, Eastern equine, others
Medical condition (new).diagnosis: Based on symptoms, supported by blood tests, medical imaging, analysis of cerebrospinal fluid
Medical condition (new).treatment: Antiviral medication, anticonvulsants, corticosteroids, artificial respiration
Medical condition (new).prognosis: Variable
Medical condition (new).frequency: 4.3 million (2015)
Medical condition (new).deaths: 150,000 (2015)

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

85,511 papers

Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine.ReviewRhode Island medical journal (2013) · 2020Mileno MD
Viral Encephalitis.ReviewNeurologic clinics · 2018Venkatesan A, Murphy OCDOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2018.07.001
Encephalitis: intersections between infections and autoimmunity.ReviewClinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases · 2025Venkatesan ADOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2024.11.028
Encephalitis in children.ReviewArchives of disease in childhood · 2012Thompson C, Kneen R, Riordan A et al.DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2011-300100
Japanese encephalitis virus: An overview.ReviewJournal of vector borne diseases · 2025Li Q, Cheng X, Luo M et al.DOI: 10.4103/JVBD.JVBD_49_24
Encephalitis.ReviewPediatrics in review · 2005Lewis P, Glaser CADOI: 10.1542/pir.26-10-353
Viral encephalitis.ReviewDisease-a-month : DM · 1973Hammon WM, Ho MDOI: 10.1016/s0011-5029(73)80010-0
Immune-mediated encephalitis for the infectious disease specialist.ReviewCurrent opinion in infectious diseases · 2019Venkatesan ADOI: 10.1097/QCO.0000000000000546

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image: Hsv encephalitis.jpg

Show 5 more facts

Commons category: Encephalitis
NCI Thesaurus ID: C26760
ICPC 2 ID: N71
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/SYMP_0000090
ICD-9-CM: 323.8

Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~9 min read

Article

18 sections

Contents

Signs and symptoms
Limbic encephalitis
Encephalitis lethargica
Cause
Viral
Bacterial
Other infectious causes
Autoimmune encephalitis
Diagnosis
Prevention
Treatment
Prognosis
Epidemiology
Terminology
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Causes of encephalitis include viruses such as herpes simplex virus and rabies virus as well as bacteria, fungi, or parasites. Other causes include autoimmune diseases and certain medications. In many cases the cause remains unknown. Risk factors include a weak immune system. Diagnosis is typically based on symptoms and supported by blood tests, medical imaging, and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid.