[Mild brain hypothermia for influenza encephalitis/encephalopathy and its significance]

During the Winter or Influenza season in Japan, there has been an increase in the number of patients presenting with Central Nervous System complaints or symptoms. One of the causes is reported be Influenza encephalitis/encephalopathy. Some of these patients undergo a course of Reye's Syndrome, Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy (ANE), or Hemorrhagic Shock and Encephalopathy(HSE), of which the pathologic features are still unknown. It is likely that the major underlying feature is cerebral edema, caused by impairments in the blood-brain barrier, which is mediated by inflammatory cytokines. Mild brain hypothermia may be an effective treatment in preventing cerebral edema by preventing the cytokine activation and elevations in brain temperature. A combination of mild brain hypothermia and high-dose corticosteroid therapy is thought to be effective in the treatment of influenza encephalitis/encephalopathy.