Study Population
Medical records of children (age range, 1-15 years) who were admitted in our intensive care unit in 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. The diagnosis of rubella encephalitis was clinically suspected in febrile patients with impaired cerebral function (altered consciousness, personality or behavioral changes lasting more than 24 hours) with a history of rubella contact or a maculopapular rash. The diagnosis was definitively confirmed when serum immunoglobulin (M) antibodies against the rubella virus were positive and/or cerebrospinal fluid antirubella virus immunoglobulin (M) was also positive.
For all included patients, the following data were recorded