Study of Demographic Profile, Etiology, and Clinical Outcome in Patients Admitted With Acute Encephalitis Syndrome From the Western Part of India

Background Determining the etiology of encephalitis always remains a challenge to clinicians, and also, variables that predict outcome in acute phase settings are not known precisely. The autoimmune causes of acute encephalitis are increasing due to the availability of newer diagnostic markers, whereas earlier studies were primarily focused on infectious causes. We conducted a prospective study to determine the demographic profile, etiological aspect, and in-hospital outcome of patients admitted with acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in our tertiary care center. Materials and method This observational prospective study was carried out at a tertiary care hospital between November 2016 and October 2018. With a sample size of 72, appropriate statistical analysis was done. Results The incidence of AES usually escalates during the rainy season, with arboviral etiologies being predominant. The majority of the patients with AES with a likely infectious etiology could not be diagnosed with presently available viral marker studies. Among various clinical variables, a low Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score on admission, a high CSF protein value, and diffusion restriction on brain MRI was associated with poor outcome. Conclusion Acute encephalitis and encephalitis-related mortality impose a considerable burden on current medical practice. The reported demographics of hospitalized patients with encephalitis may be changing, which are important factors to consider for etiological workup.