Encephalitis Complicating Chickenpox: Report of a Case with Death Two and a Half Years Later, and Review of the Literature

Encephalitis may complicate any of the contagious diseases of childhood. In chickenpox it is perhaps the most uncommon complication 1 to be encountered. We wish to report a case of encephalitis complicating chickenpox. The child died two and a half years after the onset of the illness, of encephalitis. In all of recorded medical literature, we found no case which survived for such a long time. Because of the protracted length of the illness, the case could be studied intensively. The chemical changes in the blood were many and varied, so that various diagnoses were entertained, then dismissed. The many investigations undertaken are recorded, and the final autopsy findings included. Report of Case The patient was a 3-year-old boy, brought into the office at noon, June 29, 1954. The chief complaint was sudden onset of respiratory distress, excessive thirst, and drowsiness of four hours' duration. Family History .—His maternal grandmother