Patient's question:
Male (16 weeks) In August, he started with a light cough, which continued until November 20 when the cause of the child's illness was discovered: incoherent speech, refusal to eat, drink, or sleep, light cough, fever above 37°C, accelerated heartbeat. On November 27, he was admitted to Hebei Medical University and diagnosed with viral encephalitis. Tests including spinal tap, CT, MRI, EEG, blood tests, and other examinations were all normal, almost negative, with no abnormalities found. The only slightly elevated were lymphocytes (16) and monocytes (4). He had blood in his coughed-up phlegm. Antiviral medication was used for 14 days, and he recovered. He was discharged on December 12.After returning home, on December 13, it was noticed that his language expression was minimal, and his fever returned to above 37°C. On December 14, he was readmitted to Hebei Medical University for focused antiviral treatment. It was found that he had mental abnormalities, bilateral temporal fossa pain, lower back pain, and posterior knee pain, with occasional incoherent speech. Under medication, he showed signs of recovery by December 18. On December 19, he underwent a digital video encephalography test at Provincial No. 2 Hospital (mild abnormalities) and continued treatment at Hebei Medical University. By December 21, after two admissions for antiviral medication totaling 21 days, he was discharged and observed until December 22, showing basic recovery.
He was discharged again on December 23 to recover at home, taking oral medications: B1, B6, methylcobalamin, folic acid tablets, and choline bitartrate capsules, along with Lianhua Qingwen granules. After discharge on December 23, he occasionally experienced slow language processing, delayed mental response, cold expressions, difficulty connecting with others' questions, and occasional incoherent speech, snoring, and blood-tinged pupils.
Doctor's answer:
Mainly, it involves symptomatic treatment, supportive treatment, and comprehensive prevention and treatment of complications. Antiviral therapy can significantly prolong the course of the disease and alleviate symptoms. With proper treatment, most children with viral meningitis can recover relatively well, but some may have varying degrees of sequelae. Once the viral infection is suppressed, some damage to brain cells may still occur. Damage to the active areas of the cerebral cortex or the sensory perception area can lead to delays or coordination issues in motor skills. If the viral infection or inflammation damages the sensory areas or perceptual areas of the cerebral cortex, the child's intelligence may be affected to varying degrees, resulting in sluggishness, noise, no response or slow response to external sounds, cognitive impairment, learning difficulties, or a loss of practice ability.