Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35510684›Full record

ReviewJournal of paediatrics and child health2022

Epidemiology and long-term neurological sequelae of childhood herpes simplex CNS infection.

Angela Berkhout, Vishal Kapoor, Claire Heney, Cheryl A Jones, Julia E Clark, Philip N Britton, Vikram L Vaska, Melissa M Lai, Clare Nourse

Open access · hybridAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of paediatrics and child health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Herpes Simplex Virus Neurovirulence Across the Human Lifespan.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2025
    Review
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Angela BerkhoutFaculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Vishal KapoorFaculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Claire HeneyPathology Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Cheryl A JonesSydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Julia E ClarkFaculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Philip N BrittonSydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Vikram L VaskaQueensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Melissa M LaiFaculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Clare NourseFaculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
University of Queensland · AUSydney Children’s Hospitals Network · AUQueensland Children’s Hospital · AUQueensland Health · AURoyal Brisbane and Women's Hospital · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimHerpes simplex CNS infection is a rare but important cause of neurological disability. Long term outcomes after HSV CNS infection in Australia have not yet been fully described. We sought to provide a comprehensive review of HSV CNS infection in children using a retrospective 13-year evaluation of statewide laboratory and clinical records and a parent survey conducted at least one year after the initial infection.

methodsAll positive PCR HSV 1 and 2 results from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or brain tissue were obtained from Queensland pathology providers for children aged 0-16 years between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2017. Clinical data were obtained from patient records and longer-term outcomes via parent survey at least 1 year after initial infection.

resultsForty-three children were identified over the 13-year period, 17 (39.5%) neonates and 26 (60.4%) non-neonates. The annual incidence for HSV CNS infection in Queensland children aged ≤16 years was 0.3/100 000 (95% confidence intervals (CIs): 0.2-0.4) with neonates at highest risk (incidence 2.5/100 000 live births, 95% CI: 1.5-3.9). HSV 1 was the predominant serotype in both neonates and non-neonates (9/17, 52.9% neonates and 19/26, 73.1% non-neonates). Seven (16.3%) children died, five (5/17, 29.4% neonates), directly attributable to HSV CNS infection (all neonates). Twenty-five (58.1%) had neurological morbidity at discharge (9/17 neonates (52.9%) vs. 16/26 (61.5%) non-neonates) and 20/27 (74.1%) reported long-term neurological morbidity at follow-up (5/9 neonates (55.6%) vs. 15/18 non-neonates (83.3%)). Seven children (two neonates and four non-neonates) with long-term neurological sequelae had no neurological morbidity identified at discharge.

conclusionSignificant long-term neurologic sequelae were seen in children with HSV CNS infection even in children with no neurological disability identified at discharge from hospital. Careful neurodevelopmental follow-up of all children is recommended.

Indexed as

Encephalitis, Herpes SimplexHerpes SimplexHerpesvirus 1, HumanChildDisease ProgressionHumansRetrospective StudiesbrainCNSencephalitisherpes simplex viruspaediatric

Identifiers

PMID35510684
PMCPMC9546081
OpenAlexW4229033962

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.