Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis mimicking acute meningoencephalitis

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that usually occurs following an antecedent infection or vaccination. Children and young adults are predominantly affected, but it has low incidence in children younger than 3 years. The disease manifests with a wide range of neurological abnormalities and a variable combination of fever, headache, meningism, convulsion and cranial nerve palsies, and there are no pathognomonic clinical or laboratory findings. So, establishment of definitive diagnosis is challenging in infants. This challenge may result in delayed diagnosis and consequently delayed treatment of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which may cause permanent neurological disability. Herein, we report an infant with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, who mimicked the symptoms of meningoencephalitis and the correct diagnosis and treatment were delayed till the development of a severe phase of the disease.