Pitfalls in the diagnosis of herpes simplex virus-1 encephalitis: case report

摘要

Dear Editor, Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is one of the most common infectious causes of sporadic encephalitis, and HSV-1 encephalitis (HSVE), and, if left untreated, can lead to poor outcomes or even death [1]. The incidence of HSVE worldwide is estimated to be between 2 and 4 cases/1,000,000 people, with an equal incidence in males and females; one-third of HSVE patients are younger than 20 years and one-half of patients are older than 50 years [1, 2]. It is difficult to distinguish HSVE from other types of encephalitis or encephalopathy because the most prevalent symptoms are fever, seizures, acute mental dysfunction, and headaches, all of which are nonspecific for HSVE [1].