Wednesday Wisdom: What Organ is Affected by Encephalitis?

August 8, 2018
Encephalitis

Encephalitis

Wednesday Wisdom: What Organ is Affected by Encephalitis?

Do you know what organ is affected by encephalitis? There are less than 200,000 cases of encephalitis in the United States every year. Comment if you know the answer, or click to read more if you are curious what the answer is!

The Answer

The organ that is affected by encephalitis is the brain. Encephalitis is the medical definition of inflammation within the brain. According to the Mayo Clinic, “encephalitis often causes only mild flu-like signs and symptoms – such as fever or headache.” Sometimes there can be no symptoms. Severe symptoms include problems with speech or hearing, seizures, confusion, muscle weakness, hallucinations or loss of sensation or paralysis. If you think you know of someone with these symptoms immediately see a doctor.

There are two types of encephalitis. Primary encephalitis is when something like a virus infects the brain. Secondary encephalitis is caused by a weakened immune system from an infection in another part of the body. The most common viral causes of encephalitis are both Herpes viruses, enterovirus, mosquito viruses, tick born viruses, rabies, measles, and rubella. People with HIV/AIDs already have a weakened immune system, so they are likely to have encephalitis. If you live in a region with many mosquitoes or ticks, you are also likely to increase your risk of getting encephalitis.

To treat encephalitis, a doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs or anti0inflammatory drugs. People will also need to get plenty of fluids and to rest. For the more severe cases, people will likely be hospitalized. Some will need physical and occupational therapy.

Final Thoughts

Did you know that the brain is affected by encephalitis? Do you know anyone who has had encephalitis? Have you personally had encephalitis? Comment your story below! If you would wish to see more of our medical trivia click here. If you have a medical trivia question you would like us to write about, also comment that below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Explore Other Blog Items By Category