[Clinical picture of acute viral encephalitides (author's transl)].

1. This report is concerned with 44 cases of acute viral encephalitides which were seen in the eight-year period 1965-72. 2. There is a significant difference in sex distribution: 63% males and 37% females. Nearly two-thirds of our patients were aged up to 30 years. There is no seasonal accumulation of incidence of the sporadic encephalitides. 3. The clinical diagnosis was based on "influenza-like" preliminary symptoms (25 patients), acute onset of neurological symptoms (30 patients) with signs of cerebral alterations like headache, drowsiness, confusion and epilepsy (22 patients), partly focal neurological signs (14 patients), inflammatory cerebro-spinal fluid alterations (36 patients) and other virus caused simultaneous diseases like myocarditis, hepatitis, pneumonia and exanthemata (19 patients). Alterations of blood sedimentation rate, number of white or red blood cells and differential blood count have no bearing on rapid diagnosis of acute viral encephalitides. Results of usual virological examinations often come to late for early diagnosis. Neuro-radiological procedures and isotope encephalography cannot help to get diagnosis in the initialphase of encephalitis. 4. 6 patients died, 5 had residual neurological deficit. 33 patients recovered completely though they partly had severe encephalitides. 5. There is no spezific treatment of acute viral encephalitides. Application of cortisone and antipyretic drugs is not indicated. 6. Most of the viral encephalitides may be classified when an extensive virological examination will be carried out.