Dexamethasone in Tick-borne Encephalitis

Treatment With Dexamethasone in Patients With Tick-borne Encephalitis: Randomized Clinical Trial

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of dexamethasone in patients with tick-borne encephalitis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 18 years or older and
• clinical signs and symptoms of meningoencephalitis or meningomyelitis and
• cerebrospinal pleocytosis and
• serological confirfmation of tick-borne encephalitis virus infection

Exclusion Criteria:

• pregnancy or
• severe neurological impairment befor tick-borne encephalitis or
• systemic corticosteroid treatment in the past 30 days or
• allergy to corticosteroids or
• immunosuppresive condition or therapy such as HIV with CD4 < 200/ml, organ or bone marrow transplant, receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy or any other immunosuppresive therapy, primary immunodeficiency, hematological maliganncy or
• ventricular shunt or
• endoscopically documented peptic gastric ulcer in the past six months or gastrointestinal bleeding with hemoglobin drop ≥ 20 units or
• uncontrolled diabetes with hyperglicemia or
• antiviral therapy with rilpivirin