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Encephalitis in varicella: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025
[ Symptoms of encephalitis in chickenpox
Encephalitis in chickenpox develops on the 3rd-7th day after the appearance of the rash. Rarely, encephalitis occurs at a later date or in the pre-exanthema period. Hyperthermia, comatose state, convulsions, meningeal symptoms, pyramidal and extrapyramidal disorders occur. Signs of cerebral edema appear early. Increased protein content and pleocytosis are determined in the cerebrospinal fluid, the number of cells usually does not exceed 100-200 in 1 μl (mainly lymphocytes), in rare cases, high neutrophilic cytosis occurs. The cerebrospinal fluid pressure is increased.
The course is usually favorable, but in some cases it is very severe and fatal. After recovery, paresis, hyperkinesis, and convulsive seizures may persist for a long time.
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