Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42604174›Full record

ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Western Pacific2026

Long-term outcomes of childhood encephalitis in Australia: burden and predictors from the Australian childhood encephalitis (ACE) prospective multicentre cohort.

Gautam J Rao, Russell C Dale, Rebecca Burrell, Luis Furuya-Kanamori, Katherine Phan, Christopher C Blyth, Jim P Buttery, Julia E Clark, Nigel W Crawford, Helen S Marshall and 4 more

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In one paragraph

Article in The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

14 authors.

Gautam J RaoSydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Russell C DaleSydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Rebecca BurrellSydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Luis Furuya-KanamoriUQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia.
Katherine PhanSydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Christopher C BlythWesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia.
Jim P ButteryChild Health Informatics (Paediatrics), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Julia E ClarkInfection Management Service, Queensland Children's Hospital, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Nigel W CrawfordMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Helen S MarshallThe Women's and Children's Health Network and the Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Robert BooyThe University of Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute (Sydney ID), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Cheryl A JonesThe University of Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute (Sydney ID), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Philip N BrittonCentre for Paediatric and Perinatal Infection Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia.
Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) Network

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain parenchyma with heterogenous aetiology and presentation. In children, it often leads to short-term residual neurological deficits, however clinical predictors of adverse long-term outcome are not fully understood. Methods: Cases of suspected encephalitis, in children aged 0 to <15 years, were actively identified from five paediatric hospitals in Australia, from March 2014 to June 2018. An expert panel categorised them into aetiological subgroups. Follow-up was conducted at discharge and 12 months using the Liverpool outcome score as the primary outcome. Potential clinical predictors of adverse outcome were determined using univariate logistic regression. Findings: Of 724 suspected cases identified, 408 were confirmed as having encephalitis (58% infectious, 23% immune mediated, 19% of unknown aetiology). Recovery was incomplete in 58% of children at 12 months. Children with infectious encephalitis presented younger (median age 1.4 years) and showed divergent trajectories of outcome progression from discharge to 12 months. Immune mediated encephalitis affected mainly older children (median age 7.5 years) and overall showed trajectory to improved neurological outcome at 12 months relative to discharge. Hospital length of stay (OR = 1.02, 95% CI [1.01, 1.03]; p = 0.001), ICU length of stay (OR = 1.07, CI 1.01, 1.13]; p = 0.004), personality/behavioural change >24 h (OR = 1.91, 95% CI [1.01, 3.61]; p = 0.045), motor weakness (OR = 2.05, 95% CI [1.16, 3.64]; p = 0.013), and MRI consistent with encephalitis (OR = 2.22, 95% CI [1.19, 4.13]; p = 0.012), were significantly associated with worse neurological outcomes at 12 months. Interpretation: Encephalitis in children results in a considerable ongoing disease burden with clinical features and outcome differing based on disease aetiology. Neurological deficits may manifest over time and close monitoring of children for at least 12 months is warranted. Funding: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) centres for research excellence (CRE) in critical infections (APP1001021) to CJ, RB. NHMRC post-graduate scholarship (GNT1074547) and early career fellowship (GNT1145817) to PB.

Indexed as

ChildrenEncephalitisLong-termNeurologicalOutcomePaediatricPredictorsSequelae

Identifiers

PMID42604174
PMCPMC13476763

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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.