Child health · UKMLA & AKT
HSV encephalitis
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test, covering how to recognise this condition. The full SA Note notes add investigations, management and complications, with practice questions on this topic.
Key high-yield points
- Most common cause of sporadic infectious encephalitis worldwide
- HSV-1 causes focal temporal/frontal lobe encephalitis in children >3 months and adults (~95%)
- HSV-2 causes diffuse encephalitis in neonates (<3 months), acquired during delivery
CT showing low-density changes in the anterior and medial temporal lobes bilaterally = HSV encephalitis until proven otherwise. CT may be normal early - MRI is preferred (high T2 signal in medial temporal/inferior frontal lobes).
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