Abstract
We to report clinical biological and radiologic features of rubella encephalitis in childhood
and assess its prognostic impact. Our retrospective study was conducted in an intensive
care unit of a university hospital in Sfax, Tunisia. Twenty-one children (age range, 1-15
years) were included. Median age was 9 years (lower and upper quartiles, 7-11 years). On
admission, generalized maculopapular eruption was found in 17 cases (81%). Median
Glasgow Coma Scale score was 7 (lower and upper quartiles, 7-8). Twenty patients (95.2%)
experienced at least 1 episode of seizures. Sixteen patients (76.2%) developed a status
epilepticus. The result for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detecting anti-rubella
immunoglobulin (M) was positive in the serum and in the cerebrospinal fluid samples for all
our patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was performed on admission
for 3 patients (14.3%) and within a median of 4 days (lower and upper quartiles, 2-6 days)
for 8 patients. The test was normal in 6 cases. Two deaths were recorded (9.5%). Survivors
had no neurological sequelae 6 months after intensive care unit discharge.