Encephalitis - Breathing Difficulty

  Hi:
  

[CCF Neurology MD:NT]

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Dear Jill:
Encephalitis can be from a variety of causes. The commonest form of viral encephalitis is caused by the herpes simplex virus (type 1). Other causes of viral encephalitis are those caused by arboviruses (insect-borne viruses), enteroviruses, and some others. About a quarter to a third of all cases of encephalitis have what is termed post-infectious acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis (ADEM), which is from delayed allergic damage to the white matter of the brain after a viral infection. Some bacterial agents can also cause encephalitis. Encephalitis can alsoi result as a remote effect of cancer.
It is often not possible to make a precise diagnosis of the cause of encephalitis. Cognitive, speech and memory troubles, seizures, and limb weakness are common sequelae of encephalitis. A persistent difficulty with breathing, however, is quite unusual.
The vast majority of individuals with shortness of breath have this because of a pulmonary cause. This is especially true with a history of smoking. Shortness of breath can also be from a neurological cause, either from weakness of the breathing muscles, or from a loss of the central respiratory drive.
Spirometry and respiratory function tests should easily be able to differentiate the two.
Consultations with a neurologist and a pulmonologist would be adequate from a diagnostic standpoint.
Good luck!