بررسی فراوانی عفونت هرپس ویروس در کودکان مبتلا به مننگوآنسفالیت آسپتیک که در بخش کودکان بیمارستان‌های رسول اکرم(ص) و مفید بستری بودند

Despite advances in antiviral therapy over the past two decades, herpes simplex encephalitis(HSE) is still a serious illness with significant risks of morbidity and mortality. Mortality rate in untreated and treated patients is 70% and 19% respectively and more than 50% of survivors are left with moderate or severe neurologic deficits. However, with the advent of very sensitive noninvasive diagnostic methodologies, a subset of patients with a milder atypical presentation has been recognized. In this cross-sectional study, the frequency of HSE was described by PCR method in CSF of 71 children with meningoencephalitis who were admitted to pediatric ward of Rasoul-e-Akram and Mofid hospitals. The patients were selected by simple sampling. The most frequent findings on physical examination were fever and mental status abnormalities and meningismus was uncommon. The age of the studied patients with ME was 4.83±3.5(Range 1-15y) and male to female ratio was 42/29. HSV-PCR were positive in 5.6% and negative in 93% of patients. PCR is a fast and relatively simple in vitro method used to detect very few numbers of viruses in clinical specimens by means of a biochemical process that replicates minute quantities of viral DNA until detection is possible. No pathognomonic clinical findings were associated with HSE. Empiric treatment of patients with suspected HSE is recommended until a firm diagnosis is confirmed, since acyclovir is a relatively nontoxic drug and the prognosis for untreated HSE is so poor.