Title
Encephalitis Lethargica Surveillance Programme
Description
This project is designed to set up a surveillance study in the UK to establish the prevalence and incidence of encephalitis lethargica in the UK and to describe its clinical and immunological characteristics.
Lead Clinician
Dr Annette Schrag, Senior Lecturer, Royal Free and University College Medical School
Disease name
Encephalitis Lethargica
Case Definition
Children (age range 2-16 years) with symptoms and signs of possible encephalitis lethargica i.e. individuals with an encephalitic illness not explained by another pathology with symptoms and signs of:
- lethargy
- neuropsychiatric features (e.g. paranoia, emotional lability, mutism, OCD and catatonia)
- Sleep disturbance(e.g. hypersomnolence, insomnia and sleep inversion)
- movement disorder (e.g. parkinsonism, dyskinesia, tics, chorea, tremor, oculogyric crisis)
With or without preceding history of upper respiratory tract infection.
Inclusion Criteria
Any cases meeting the case definition.
Exclusion Criteria
Positive diagnosis of viral encephalitis or another confirmed neurological illness secondary to hypoxic, ischaemic, vascular, toxic or metabolic causes.