Authors : Edwina Raj, C P Ravi Kumar, Arunadevi J, Rebecca Renee Joseph, Chetan Ginigeri
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijnmhs.2020.017
Volume : 3
Issue : 3
Year : 2020
Page No : 85-89
Meningoencephalitis is an inflammation of the brain and its surrounding protective membranes. Meningitis
is a life-threatening disease and can lead to significant sequelae.We were presented with a 6 year 5 months
old female child on ventilation, retrieved by referral hospital on examination revealed human herpesvirus
6 through cerebrospinal fluid analysis and diagnosed with meningoencephalitis on Magnetic Resonance
Imaging(MRI) with three repeated failed extubation and hence planned tracheostomy. Child presented no
movements with suspected motor or sensory (vision, hearing) disability, generalized tonic-clonic seizure
(GTCS), altered sensorium requiring a long term rehabilitation and nutrition support. On close monitoring,
a continuous effort of three months and with a multidisciplinary clinical approach from different disciplines
including neurologist, intensivist, clinical dietitian and physiotherapy, the child successfully completed
the long term rehabilitation treatment with remarkable improvement observed within 12 weeks both
neurologically and nutritionally with a better clinical outcome.
Keywords: Pediatric Meningoencephalitis, Viral Encephalitis, Nasogastric feeding, Human herpesvirus, Medical Nutrition Therapy in Meningoencephalitis.