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Long-Term Morbidity and Functional Outcome of Japanese Encephalitis in Children: A Prospective Cohort Study

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Abstract

Objective

To describe the long term morbidity and functional outcome of Japanese encephalitis in children.

Methods

Laboratory-confirmed Japanese encephalitis cases were enrolled in the study from January, 2016 to September, 2017 and surviving cases were prospectively followed up for 2.5 years to document various morbidities. Outcome was functionally graded at discharge and during follow-up using Liverpool outcome score.

Results

Out of 56 children enrolled, 10 (17.9%) died during hospital stay; severe sequelae was observed in 17 (30.4%) at discharge. At the end of study, among 37 children under follow-up, 23 (62.2%) recovered fully, 2 (5.4%) showed minor sequelae, 3 (8.1%) had moderate sequelae, and 9 (24.3%) were left with severe sequelae. Common long term morbidities were abnormal behavior (n=10, 27%), post encephalitic epilepsy (n=8, 21.6%), poor scholastic performance (n=8, 21.6%) and residual motor deficit (n=7, 18.9%). Improvement of morbidities was noted mostly within initial 1 year of follow-up.

Conclusions

More than half of the Japanese encephalitis survivors recovered fully, most within the first year after discharge.

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Acknowledgements

Dr Sharmistha Bhattacherjee, Department of Community Medicine, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, for helping with study design and statistical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Medicine, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Sushruta Nagar, Siliguri, India

    Abhijit Dutta & Shankha Subhra Nag

  2. Department of Microbiology, School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata, India

    Manjula Dutta

  3. Department of Neurology, KPC Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata; West Bengal, India

    Sagar Basu

  4. Embee Fortune, Flat No. D3H, Near BSF Camp, Asian Highway 2, Kadamtala, Siliguri, West Bengal, 734 011, India

    Shankha Subhra Nag

Authors
  1. Abhijit Dutta
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  2. Shankha Subhra Nag
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  3. Manjula Dutta
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  4. Sagar Basu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shankha Subhra Nag.

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Ethics clearance

Institutional Ethics Committee, North Bengal Medical College; No: PCM/2015-16/603BK, dated December 30, 2015.

Contributors

AD: conception of the study, acquisition of data and revising the manuscript for important intellectual content. SSN: design of the study, acquisition of data and drafting the manuscript; MD: acquisition of data revising the manuscript for important intellectual content; SB: interpretation of data and revising the manuscript for important intellectual content. All the authors approved the version to be published and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

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Dutta, A., Nag, S.S., Dutta, M. et al. Long-Term Morbidity and Functional Outcome of Japanese Encephalitis in Children: A Prospective Cohort Study. Indian Pediatr 58, 846–849 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-021-2306-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-021-2306-3

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