Table 2.
Clinical characteristics of patients with brainstem encephalitis
| Total n = 81 | Infectious n = 4 | Autoimmune/inflammatory n = 54 | Undefined n = 23 | p value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) mean ± SD | 32.5 ± 20.5 | 42.2 ± 16.7 | 26.6 ± 20.2 | 43.5 ± 17.0 | 0.0005 |
| Male, n (%) | 41 (50.6) | 2 (50.0) | 28 (51.9) | 11 (47.8) | 0.81 |
| Clinical presentations | |||||
| Antecedent illness, n (%) | 34 (42.0) | 1 (25.0) | 28 (51.9) | 5 (21.7) | 0.023 |
| Febrile, n (%) | 14 (17.3) | 2 (50.0) | 7 (13.0) | 5 (21.7) | 0.33 |
| Headache, n (%) | 37 (45.7) | 2 (50.0) | 26 (48.1) | 9 (39.1) | 0.62 |
| Encephalopathy, n (%) | 30 (37.0) | 2 (50.0) | 21 (38.9) | 7 (30.4) | 0.61 |
| Ocular complaints, n (%) | 47 (58.0) | 3 (75.0) | 31 (57.4) | 13 (56.5) | 1.00 |
| Bulbar symptoms, n (%) | 47 (58.0) | 4 (100.0) | 25 (46.3) | 18 (78.3) | 0.012 |
| Limb weakness, n (%) | 47 (58.0) | 2 (50.0) | 37 (68.5) | 8 (34.8) | 0.01 |
| Ataxia, n (%) | 56 (69.1) | 2 (50.0) | 35 (64.8) | 19 (82.6) | 0.17 |
| CSF examination | |||||
| WBC (cell/mm3) | 164.8 ± 548.5 | 792.0 ± 1293.1 | 183.4 ± 577.6 | 27.2 ± 38.4 | 0.18 |
| Protein (mg/dL) | 66.6 ± 62.9 | 90.5 ± 92.2 | 62.5 ± 61.4 | 71.1 ± 62.6 | 0.57 |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 65.6 ± 19.2 | 64.2 ± 15.6 | 67.0 ± 20.0 | 63.1 ± 18.5 | 0.43 |
| Neuroimaging | |||||
| Brainstem abnormality, n(%) | 70 (86.4) | 4 (100.0) | 45 (83.3) | 21 (91.3) | 0.49 |
| Cerebral lesions, n (%) | 42 (51.9) | 2 (50.0) | 32 (59.3) | 8 (34.8) | 0.08 |
| Contrast enhancement, n (%) | 35 (43.2) | 1 (25.0) | 20 (37.0) | 14 (60.1) | 0.08 |
| Treatment | |||||
| Antimicrobial, n (%) | 19 (23.5) | 4 (100.0) | 9 (16.7) | 6 (26.1) | 0.36 |
| Corticosteroid, n (%) | 58 (71.6) | 1 (25.0) | 44 (81.5) | 13 (56.5) | 0.044 |
| Immunotherapy, n (%) | 19 (23.5) | 0 (0) | 14 (25.9) | 5 (21.7) | 0.78 |
| Outcomes | |||||
| Follow-up, months | 22.8 (32.9) | 10.8 (13.1) | 25.0 (34.3) | 18.2 (32.0) | 0.34 |
| Poor outcomes, n (%) | 15 (18.5) | 2 (50.0) | 10 (18.5) | 3 (13.0) | 0.74 |
| Mortality, n (%) | 5 (6.2) | 1 (25.0) | 3 (5.6) | 1 (4.3) | 1.0 |
Bold values indicate significance at p < 0.05
*
Comparison between undefined and autoimmune/inflammatory groups