14th June 2023

Treatment

General management of encephalitis is supportive. In certain cases, treatment for seizures may be required, or in cases of severely raised intracranial pressure, therapy with steroids or mannitol may be required.

Specific treatment for encephalitis depends on the cause found and may include antivirals (e.g. IV acyclovir in the case of herpes simplex or varicella zoster encephalitis), antibiotics, antifungals, IV immunoglobulin or plasmapheresis (e.g. anti-NMDA encephalitis.