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Case Reports
. 2021 Aug 14;13(8):e17183.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.17183. eCollection 2021 Aug.

The Spectrum of Neurological Manifestations of Human Herpesvirus 6 Infection in Children

Nidheesh Chencheri  1 , Mohammed Dirawi  2 , Saja Tahir  2 , Jwan Shekhy  2 , Walid Abuhammour  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

The Spectrum of Neurological Manifestations of Human Herpesvirus 6 Infection in Children

Nidheesh Chencheri et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a member of the Herpesviridae family. There are two HHV-6 species: HHV-6A and HHV-6B. HHV-6B causes the majority of documented primary infections and reactivation events. In this case series, we illustrate the varied spectrum of clinical and radiological features of HHV-6 encephalitis and its management in children. We have described three cases of HHV-6 encephalitis in the age group between nine months and two years. All had an HHV-6 viral load detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. Two of which are of immunocompetent patients. This case series highlights the importance of including HHV-6 infection as one of the differential diagnoses in a child with suspected central nervous system infection and of considering adding CSF HHV-6 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for detection. Increasing awareness of this condition will aid physicians in the timely diagnosis and early treatment of HHV-6 encephalitis.

Keywords: acute disseminated encephalomyelitis; encephalitis; ganciclovir; human herpesvirus 6; roseola infantum.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. MRI brain T2 coronal FLAIR image showing thalamic and subthalamic hyperintensities (arrow).
FLAIR, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery.
Figure 2
Figure 2. MRI brain T2 axial image showing dentate nuclei hyperintensities (arrow).
Figure 3
Figure 3. MRI brain T2 axial image showing thalamic hyperintensities (arrow).
Figure 4
Figure 4. MRI brain axial T2-weighted image showing hyperintensities in the dentate nuclei (arrow).
Figure 5
Figure 5. MRI brain axial T2-weighted image showing hyperintensities and edema in bilateral thalami (arrow).
Figure 6
Figure 6. MRI brain axial T2-weighted image showing hyperintensities in centrum semiovale (arrow).
Figure 7
Figure 7. Repeat MRI brain axial image showing hemorrhagic changes in bilateral thalami (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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