Introduction and Objectives: In our study, we aimed to reveal the etiological causes of encephalitis in pediatric patients and investigate its long-term neurological outcomes. Material and Methods: Our research was retrospective and conducted in a single center. The patient population consisted of 93 patients between 1 month and 18 years old, who were treated with the diagnosis of meningoencephalitis/encephalitis at the Department of Pediatrics of Kocaeli University, between January 2011 and January 2021. These patients fulfill the 2013 International Encephalitis Consortium diagnostic criteria. Results: The boys were 54 and girls were 39 in number. The median age at diagnosis was 65 months (36-117 months). In two main groups, 54.8% were diagnosed with infectious and 45.2% with immune-based encephalitis. The etiological cause could be determined in 33% with laboratory examinations. The most common infectious agent identified was Herpes simplex virus type 1 (10.8%). Autoimmune encephalitis was diagnosed in 30.1% of the patients and anti-NMDAR antibodies were detected in 4.3%. ADEM was observed in 15.1% of the cases. Four patients experienced a fatal outcome, The most common sequelae were behavioral/psychiatric disorders (30.6%), epilepsy (24.4%) and motor deficits (20%). The presence of intractable seizures requiremented of >=2 antiepileptic drugs (OR=19.953, 95%CI [2.252-176.759], p=0.007), and an infectious etiology (OR=10.096, 95%CI [1.18-86.358], p= 0.035) were negative prognostic factors. Conclusions: We conclude that viral agents are the main cause, but increased awareness of autoimmunity and understanding the complex nature of encephalitis with serious consequences is an important step in developing effective diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Ozan Berk
Turkey

Gökçe Cırdı
Turkey

Defne Alikılıç
Turkey

Adnan Deniz
Turkey

Ayfer Güneş
Turkey

Bülent Kara
Turkey