Journal Article

Neurological sequelae after encephalitis associated with herpes simplex virus in children: systematic review and meta-analysis

Mattiello, Rita, Rocha, Natalie Duran, Sato, Douglas Kazutoshi, da Silva, Gabriel Aude Bueno, de Moura, Sara Kvitko

2023

Overview

Background Encephalitis is an inflammation of the cerebral parenchyma manifested by acute symptoms such as fever, headaches, and other neurological disorders. Its etiology is mostly viral, with herpes simplex virus being a frequent etiological agent in children. The development of neurological sequelae is a serious outcome associated with this infection. Objective To assess the general prevalence and types of neurological sequelae in children after a case of acute viral encephalitis caused by HSV. Methods This systematic review and meta-analysis was developed following the PRISMA guidelines. The literature search was carried out in the MEDLINE, Embase, SciELO, LILACS, Cochrane, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases. Studies were included of children with confirmed HSV infection and that presented a description of neurological sequelae associated with that infection. For the meta-analysis of general prevalence and of the types of neurological sequelae a random effects model was used. Results Of the 2827 articles chosen in the initial search, nine studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The general prevalence of neurological sequelae was 50.7% (95% CI 39.2–62.2). The most frequent sequelae were related to mental disability, with a 42.1% prevalence (95% CI 30–55.2); on the other hand, the least frequent sequelae were those related with visual impairment, with a 5.9% prevalence (95% CI 2.2–14.6). The included studies presented regular quality and substantial heterogeneity. Conclusion Even with antiviral therapy, half of patients will develop some type of disability.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Antiviral agents / Antiviral drugs / Care and treatment / Child / Children / Children and adolescents / Consciousness / Control / Diagnosis / Disease Progression / Dosage and administration / Encephalitis / Encephalitis - complications / Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex - complications / Encephalitis, Viral / Etiology / Herpes simplex / Herpes Simplex - complications / Herpes simplex virus / Herpes viruses / Heterogeneity / Humans / Identification and classification / Infections / Infectious Diseases / Internal Medicine / Medical Microbiology / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Meta-analysis / Neurologic manifestations of general diseases / Neurological complications / Neurological diseases / Neurological manifestations / Parasitology / Parenchyma / Research Article / Risk factors / Signs and symptoms / Simplexvirus / Systematic review / Tropical Medicine / Viruses