title: Pre-eruptive varicella encephalitis and cerebellar ataxia.
abstract: Varicella-related neurologic symptoms usually appear during or following the exanthem. Pre-eruptive neurologic manifestations are extremely rare. We report a 6-year-old boy who developed encephalitis, characterized by drowsiness and left-sided hyperactive deep tendon reflexes and cerebellar ataxia, both of which antedated the exanthem by 16 days. The diagnostic and public health implications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Urion
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D013826:Theta Rhythm
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral