Irias Carlos Mejia
Specialist Internal Medicine at the Centro Medico El Buen Samaritano, Honduras.
IDCases. 2025 Apr 4;40:e02215. doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2025.e02215. eCollection 2025.
Dengue meningoencephalitis is a rare neurological complication of dengue infection, characterized by inflammation of the brain and leptomeninges. We present the case of an 81-year-old female patient with a five-day history of fever, accompanied by altered consciousness, seizures, and meningeal signs. Dengue infection was confirmed by a positive RT-PCR result in blood, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed lymphocytic pleocytosis, suggestive of a viral infectious process. Additionally, an electroencephalogram showed focal epileptiform activity. This is the first reported case of dengue meningoencephalitis in Central America. This case highlights the importance of considering dengue virus as a potential etiological agent in patients presenting with fever and acute alterations in consciousness secondary to a viral infectious process. The publication of this case is relevant to enhance early recognition of rare neurological complications such as dengue meningoencephalitis, promoting timely intervention that may positively influence patient prognosis.
登革热脑膜脑炎是登革热感染罕见的神经系统并发症,其特征为脑和软脑膜的炎症。我们报告一例81岁女性患者,有5天发热病史,伴有意识改变、癫痫发作和脑膜刺激征。血液逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)结果呈阳性,确诊为登革热感染,脑脊液分析显示淋巴细胞增多,提示病毒感染过程。此外,脑电图显示局灶性癫痫样活动。这是中美洲首例报告的登革热脑膜脑炎病例。该病例强调了在出现发热及继发于病毒感染过程的急性意识改变的患者中,将登革热病毒视为潜在病原体的重要性。该病例的发表对于提高对登革热脑膜脑炎等罕见神经系统并发症的早期识别、促进可能对患者预后产生积极影响的及时干预具有重要意义。