Question
A child was diagnosed with severe viral encephalitis on February 15. After 13 days of treatment, the child was admitted to the intensive care unit and fell into a coma. One week later, the child regained consciousness without any fever or convulsive symptoms. How should convulsions and spasms caused by herpes simplex encephalitis be treated?
Answer
The diagnosis of viral encephalitis is typically based on clinical manifestations, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, electroencephalogram, and CT scan. Some medical institutions are able to perform specific antibody or virus isolation tests to determine the pathogen. Treatment-wise, both confirmed and suspected cases can adopt antiviral therapy. For encephalitis caused by herpes simplex virus, ganciclovir can be used; for encephalitis caused by other viruses, virazole and a comprehensive therapy combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine can be applied.