ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the epidemiology of viral encephalitis&meningoencephalitis and its clinical characteristics during influenza epidemics in Taiyuan city (between November 2017 and February 2018). Methods A total of 112 patients of viral encephalitis & meningoencephalitis from Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital between October 2016 to March 2018 were recruited. Patients were divided into influenza season (n=46)and non－influenza season (n=66). The clinical characteristics of 46 patients with viral meningititis in the influenza season (IS group) were compared with those in the control group of 66 cases in the non－influenza season (NI group). The Logistic regression analysis was used to study the difference between the clinical features of the IS group and the NI group. Results The incidence of hospitalized patients with viral meningititis was significantly higher in epidemic season than in the non－epidemic season. The regression analysis demonstrated that in the IS group the adolescents were 3.879 times older than other age groups, and the symptoms of mental disorder were 2.843 times that of the symptoms without mental disorder, and the duration less than 2 weeks was 3.001 times the duration greater than 2 weeks. Conclusion Although the incidence of hospitalization in patients with viral encephalitis&meningoencephalitis is increased during the influenza season, there is no outbreak of viral meningititis. In this influenza season, adolescents are susceptible to the viral encephalitis &meningoencephalitis and more prone to mental disorder. However, the prognosis of the disease is relatively good.