Encephalitis lethargica

Written and reviewed by Dr Ibrahim Imam, Consultant Neurologist. Last reviewed .

Encephalitis lethargica. This is possibly an autoimmune disorder. Fully referenced neurology checklist.

Background

  • This is possibly an autoimmune disorder
  • Its relationship to the great influenza epidemic is not established
  • It may have an enteroviral etiology

Pathology

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Common types of encephalitis lethargica

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Clinical features

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Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

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Autoantibodies

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Treatment

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References

  1. Dale RC, Church AJ, Surtees RA, et al. Encephalitis lethargica syndrome: 20 new cases and evidence of basal ganglia autoimmunity. Brain 2004; 127:21-23.
  2. McCall S, Vilensky JA, Gilman S, Taubenberger JK. The relationship between encephalitis lethargica and influenza: a critical analysis. J Neurovirol 2008; 14:177-185.
  3. Dourmashkin RR, Dunn G, Castano V, McCall SA. Evidence for an enterovirus as the cause of encephalitis lethargica. BMC Infect Dis 2012; 12:136.
  4. Vilensky JA. Gilman S. Encephalitis lethargica: could this disease be recognised if the epidemic recurred? Pract Neurol 2006; 6:360-367.
  5. Ward CD. On doing nothing: descriptions of sleep, fatigue, and motivation in encephalitis lethargica. Mov Disord 2011; 26:599-604.

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