{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,22]],"date-time":"2026-03-22T17:53:40Z","timestamp":1774202020425,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]],"date-time":"2026-02-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770595200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"funder":[{"name":"Department of Science and Technology, Chandigarh"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Acute febrile encephalopathy (AFE) is a common neurological emergency in all age groups. In tropical regions, long-standing infections such as Japanese encephalitis and bacterial meningitis continue to be major causes of AFE, while changing presentations of familiar infections and newly emerged diseases like COVID-19 are also becoming increasingly notable. To describe various clinical presentations, etiology and mortality of AFE in pediatric age group. This prospective observational study was undertaken in a tertiary care institute of Northern India from April 2022 to April 2023. Children aged 1 month to 18 years presenting to the pediatric emergency department with fever of &amp;lt;2 weeks duration and altered sensorium lasting &amp;gt;24 hours were eligible for inclusion. A total of 100 patients (49% males) with AFE were enrolled. The mean (SD) duration of encephalopathy was 1.39 (0.69) days. The most frequent etiologies were viral encephalitis (17%), dengue encephalopathy (12%), and hepatic encephalopathy (9%). The peak incidence occurred between August and November. The overall case fatality rate was 33%. Under-5 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) had the highest fatality rate (56%, 9\/16). Among survivors, 16% (11\/67) had poor functional outcomes. Higher odds of mortality were observed in patients with a Glasgow coma scale score &amp;lt;8, hypoglycemia at admission, requirement for mechanical ventilation or inotropic support, and presence of multiorgan dysfunction. AFE demonstrates a predictable seasonal pattern and is associated with high mortality and morbidity, particularly in under-5 children with SAM, who represent the most vulnerable group.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/tropej\/fmag018","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,22]],"date-time":"2026-03-22T17:48:07Z","timestamp":1774201687000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Clinico-etiological profile and prognostic factors of acute febrile encephalopathy in children: a prospective study from Indian subcontinent"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"72","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2186-839X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chandrika","family":"Azad","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Government Medical College and Hospital Department of Pediatrics, , Sector 32 , Chandigarh, 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