Encephalitis, encephalopathy, encephalic reaction in children. Differential diagnostic aspects

Recent years we observed the growth of clinical cases of children hospitalized with clinical features of infectious encephalitis who further after laboratory and instrumental diagnostics do not confirm typical encephalitis features. More often clinical diagnosis in such cases are encephalitic reaction or encephalopathy. In the article we give modern view about specific diagnostical features of encephalitis, encephalopathy and encephalitic reaction and authors’ experience of clinical observation of 400 children, hospitatlized with the diagnosis “encephalitis” during 2000–2025. Modern view on differential diagnostical aspects of each syndrome are described in the article. Diagnostic criteria clinical, laboratory and instrumental specific for each nosology is given. The experience of antihypoxant therapy with Cytoflavin in acute period of the disease and its influence on neurological outcomes of the disease is shown. The use of Cytoflavin in earliest period of the disease onset has shown in children without adverse premorbid background fast positive clinical dynamics on etiopatogenic therapy, and minimal cognitive and motor deficit. In 13% children with unadequate early therapy the use of cytoflavin on late stage of the disease helped to dicrease the severity of post-infectoius encephalopathy.

Conclusion. The presence of a general infectious syndrome, the results of laboratory and instrumental examination of the patient in most cases allow establishing a final diagnosis, however, in some cases, the simultaneous or sequential presence of encephalitis and encephalopathy in the patient may be observed, which require a revision of the patient management tactics.

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