Abstract

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy of childhood is a rare, clinically distinct entity of acute encephalopathy triggered by acute febrile diseases, mostly viral infections. This syndrome is characterized by the presence of multifocal symmetrical brain lesions involving mainly thalami, brainstem, cerebellum and white matter. The most common abnormalities are an increased level of serum aminotransferase activity and cerebrospinal fluid protein. The etiology and pathogenesis remain unknown and there is no specific therapy or prevention. The prognosis is usually poor and less than 10% of patients recover completely. Diagnosis is made mainly by the characteristic findings of neuroimaging. We describe a case of a young child who was infected with a novel influenza A virus and displayed the characteristic clinical features and neuroimaging findings of acute necrotizing encephalopathy. Influenza is generally considered as a benign illness, but phsysicians should be aware of this unusual presentation of influenza infection.

Key Words: H1N1; Acute Encephalopathy; Child.