RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study serum ferritin and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels in children with hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) complicated by acute viral encephalitis and their clinical significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum levels of ferritin and NSE were measured using ELISA and electrochemical luminescence in 20 children with HFMD complicated by viral encephalitis (encephalitis group), 20 children with HFMD only (simple HFMD group) and 20 healthy children (control group).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum levels of ferritin in the encephalitis group (212 ± 71 μg/L) were significantly higher than in the simple HFMD group (85 ± 18 μg/L) and control group (70 ± 15 μg/L) (P<0.01). Serum levels of NSE in the encephalitis group (8.6 ± 2.6 μg/L) were also significantly higher than in the simple HFMD group (6.0 ± 1.3 μg/L) and control group (5.6 ± 1.8 μg/L) (P<0.01). Significantly decreased serum ferritin (126 ± 37 μg/L) and NSE levels (6.8 ± 1.9 μg/L) were found in the encephalitis group (P<0.01) after treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Serum levels of ferritin and NSE in children with HFMD complicated by acute viral encephalitis increase, suggesting that serum ferritin and NSE measurement is useful in the early diagnosis of HFMD complicated by acute viral encephalitis.</p>