Encephalitis
Encephalitis must be diagnosed and treated in the early stages of the condition. If medical errors delay the patient's care, there could be grounds for a medical negligence claim.
Whether the potential claim relates to you or your loved one, please contact us at Glynns Solicitors. We specialise in medical negligence law and offer expert legal advice free of charge.
What is encephalitis?
Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain. It is a life-threatening condition and emergency medical attention is needed if the patient is to avoid life-changing or fatal complications. It is estimated that there are just 4,000 cases of encephalitis in the UK ever year, making it relatively rare.
What causes encephalitis?
There are different ways in which encephalitis might arise. In each the outcome is the same: the brain becomes inflamed and is consequently damaged. This inflammation may be caused in the following ways:
- Infection, where inflammation arises due to an infection (usually viral) such as meningitis
- Post-infection, where inflammation happens weeks or months after an infection
- Auto-immune, where inflammation occurs due to the immune system attacking something it considers to be 'bad', such as a tumour
- Chronic, where inflammation develops gradually because of underlying health conditions such as HIV
- Mosquitoes and ticks, where the condition is passed to the patient via a tick or mosquito bite. This is how Japanese encephalitis occurs.
- Rabies, where inflammation develops as a side-effect of rabies
What are the symptoms of encephalitis?
When inflammation of the brain occurs, the patient will at first experience mild flu-like symptoms, but these will quickly escalate to serious neurological dysfunction.
Encephalitis symptoms will generally take the following course, with the initial symptoms being:
- High temperature
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Aching joints
Next, the patient will develop further symptoms that indicate that he/she has something other than the flu, such as:
- Confusion
- Drowsiness and loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Personality changes
- Sensitivity to light
- Difficulty controlling body movements and eye movement
- Reduced vision
- Stiff neck
- Hallucination
How is encephalitis diagnosed?
Encephalitis is diagnosed with a variety of tests. Scans, including CT scans and MRI scans, can reveal encephalitic changes in the brain. A lumbar puncture will enable doctors to test the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to see if an infection is affecting the brain. An electroencephalogram monitors the electrical activity in the brain, which will be abnormal in a patient with encephalitis.
During the diagnosis process, it is important for medical practitioners to verify what is causing the patient to suffer inflammation of the brain. This will ensure the correct treatment is provided.
How is encephalitis treated?
Encephalitis is treated according to the underlying cause. For example, encephalitis that happens due to an infection is treated with a medication called Aciclovir. But post-infectious encephalitis is treated with steroid injections.
This treatment must be provided as soon as possible. Encephalitis does have a high mortality rate, but early treatment will give the patient the best chance of survival. Encephalitis is also associated with long-term health complications in those who do survive, but again, early treatment can increase the patient's chance of making a good recovery.
What if encephalitis is not treated?
If encephalitis is not treated in time, the brain will sustain extensive damage. This can be fatal, and around one in 10 patients with encephalitis will die. If a patient does survive, it is highly likely that he/she will be left with some form of neurological injury. This can result in life-long complications such as:
- Epilepsy
- Memory loss
- Poor concentration
- Personality changes
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Difficulty talking
- Tiredness
- Physical disabilities
These complications are life-changing and can leave a patient with severe disabilities. This can have a knock-on effect on the entire family, who may need to provide significant care and support. It can also have serious financial implications, as the patient may no longer be able to work, while those looking after him/her may need to give up work in order to be a full-time carer.
Encephalitis medical negligence claims
Unfortunately there are occasions when medical errors contribute towards a patient's injuries. Mistakes often relate to a delay in diagnosis. It is true that encephalitis is difficult to diagnose because the initial symptoms are similar to the flu. Misdiagnosing a patient may therefore be permissible in the early stages, but if doctors fail to appreciate the later symptoms that indicate neurological dysfunction, the care could be deemed unacceptable.
Additionally there may be grounds for a claim if medical practitioners fail to establish the underlying cause of the patient's encephalitis. One example might be a patient who develops encephalitis as a result of TB meningitis. If doctors fail to realise that the patient is suffering from TB meningitis, he/she will not undergo the immediate treatment required, causing severe brain damage to occur.
A claim might also arise because clinicians fail to carry out the correct diagnostic tests, fail to interpret test results correctly, fail to treat encephalitis as a matter of urgency, or fail to provide the correct type of treatment.
Speak to a legal expert
If you would like to know more about substandard medical care and encephalitis, please get in touch with our friendly team at Glynns Solicitors. Whether the potential claim relates to you or your loved one, we can provide expert legal advice, during which we will let you know if the care provided fell below an acceptable standard.
Encephalitis can cause devastating injuries that the patient will likely face for the rest of their lives. If these have arisen due to medical mistakes, it will be all the more difficult to come to terms with. We understand just how upsetting this will be for all those involved, and endeavour to get the justice that you deserve. This involves pursuing a claim against those at fault.
While making a claim will not turn back the clock, it will highlight the errors that were made, and will provide you with financial support for the future.
To speak to a medical negligence solicitor about a medical negligence claim for encephalitis, please contact us today.
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