title: Steroids for deteriorating herpes simplex virus encephalitis.
abstract: A 16-month-old girl presented with herpes simplex virus type 1 encephalitis with involvement of bilateral parietofrontal lobes, left thalamus and cerebellum. She was treated with intravenous acyclovir. As her condition deteriorated, high-dose methylprednisolone was administered, resulting in remarkable improvement. This case suggests considering a short course of high-dose steroid therapy in severe herpes simplex encephalitis when there is clinical and radiologic deterioration in spite of appropriate antiviral therapy and decreasing viral load in the cerebrospinal fluid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Banan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Musallam
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Matoth
authors.forename: Dana G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Engelhard
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Averbuch
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D020803:Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D000212:Acyclovir; D008775:Methylprednisolone