The puzzling picture of acute necrotizing encephalopathy after influenza A and B virus infection in young children.
Acute necrotizing encephalopathy is a complication of influenza A and B virus infection in young children, especially in Japan. The disease is characterized by high fever, convulsions and coma. A prominent feature of this central nervous system disease is bilateral thalamic necrosis, documented by magnetic resonance imaging. The pathogenesis of the virus-associated brain pathology has not yet been elucidated. There is considerable circumstantial evidence that influenza immunization may decrease the likelihood of children developing acute necrotizing encephalopathy.
Grose
Charles
C
Virology Laboratory, Childrens Hospital of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009980:Influenza A virus; D009981:Influenza B virus; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000150:complications*