Living with St. Louis encephalitis
A mosquito-spread viral infection that starts with flu-like symptoms and can affect the brain and its coverings.
Understanding St. Louis encephalitis
It is caused by a virus in the Flaviviridae family. It begins with flu-like symptoms. These can progress to meningitis or encephalitis, which are swelling of the brain's coverings or of the brain itself. It can occur at any time in life.
Signs & symptoms
Symptoms vary from person to person. GARD describes these:
- Fever, headache, and feeling unwell
- Cough and sore throat
- Nausea and vomiting
- Stiff neck
- Confusion and disorientation
- Tremors, seizures, or sensitivity to light
Not everyone has every symptom. GARD's list comes from the Human Phenotype Ontology.
Diagnosis
- 1Talk with your doctor
Share the symptoms you've noticed, when they started and your family health history. Notes and photos can help.
- 2See a specialist
Specialists who may be involved include brain and nervous system specialists and seizure and epilepsy specialists.
- 3Ask which tests can help
Your care team will decide which exams and tests can confirm the diagnosis.
- 4Connect with expert centers
Epilepsy Foundation may keep lists of experts for this condition.
Care & treatment
- Care team
- Brain and nervous system specialists (neurologists); Seizure and epilepsy specialists (epileptologist)
- Expert care
- Expert lists: Epilepsy Foundation
- Treatment
- GARD doesn't list specific treatments for this condition. Your care team will tailor care to your symptoms.
- Research
- Clinical trials and observational studies may be options. See the research section below.
General information, not medical advice. Your care team makes the decisions.
Everyday life
Living with a rare condition is easier with support.
- Connect with Encephalitis411 and other patient organizations
- Keep notes on symptoms, changes and questions for appointments
- Ask about patient registries that help research
- Look into financial aid and travel resources for care visits
Quick facts
It is caused by a virus that is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito.
Also known as: neuroinvasive saint louis encephalitis virus infection; neuroinvasive st. louis encephalitis virus infection; saint louis encephalitis; saint louis encephalitis virus infection; st. louis encephalitis virus caused infectious encephalitis; st. louis encephalitis virus infection
Patient organizations
- Encephalitis411St. Louis encephalitis · United States
- Epilepsy FoundationEpilepsy · United States
You are more than your diagnosis
Perspectives from people navigating life with St. Louis encephalitis.
Explore research for St. Louis encephalitis
Explore actively recruiting St. Louis encephalitis studies with HealthSpark.
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- Recruiting studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
- Share your city to look for research near you
- Eligibility is confirmed by the study team
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Powered by HealthSpark, our AI chat helper · Study information from ClinicalTrials.gov · Eligibility is confirmed by the study team.
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