Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain caused by infections or immune system activation due to underlying medical conditions, presenting with a wide range of symptoms from mild flu-like illness to severe neurological deficits such as altered consciousness, confusion, seizures, hallucinations, speech and motor impairments, and coma. Common signs include fever, headache, stiff neck, vomiting, and in infants, lethargy, poor feeding, irritability, and bulging fontanel. Specific forms like herpetic encephalitis due to herpes simplex virus type 1 can cause rapid progression with fever, behavioral changes, memory loss, and paralysis, while mumps virus-induced encephalitis also contributes to neurological complications.
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