Condition

Encephalitis

Clinical trials and treatment information for Encephalitis

4.6M
People Affected
80
Active Trials
500K
New Cases/Year
92K
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Acyclovir
90% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 70% Safety• 4 trials• 5K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 10 mg/kg IV every 8 hours
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
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70
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Days

Duration

14-21 days intravenously

Response Rate

70%

Remission Rate

30%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

2

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

50

Common Side Effects:

Nausea: 3%
Headache: 3%
Renal impairment: 2%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$500

Monitoring

$10,000

Side Effects

$500

Total Annual

$11,000

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

8

ICER

$25,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$36,667

Cost per Responder

$15,714

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Mortality Rate at 6 months70% (untreated/delayed treatment)
-71.4% (-50 percentage points)
Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) Score at 6 monthsmRS score: 4/6 (severe disability)
-50% (-2 points)
Length of Hospital Stay25 days (for severe cases)
-60% (-15 days)
Secondary Benefits
Incidence of Cognitive Impairment at 12 months (among survivors)60% (untreated/delayed treatment survivors)
-50% (-30 percentage points)
Daily Seizure Frequency3 seizures/day (during acute phase for affected patients)
-66.7% (-2 seizures/day)
Quality of Life (EQ-5D-5L score at 6 months)EQ-5D-5L score: 0.4 (low quality of life)
+50% (+0.2 points)
Common Side Effects
Nausea
+3%
Headache
+3%
Renal impairment
+2%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
2
Methylprednisolone
85% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 35% Safety• 8 trials• 3K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 1g IV daily for 3-5 days
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
35
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

3-7 days

Duration

3-5 days IV, then oral taper for weeks-months

Response Rate

60%

Remission Rate

45%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

3

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

10

Common Side Effects:

Hyperglycemia: 40%
Insomnia: 15%
Increased infection risk: 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$200

Monitoring

$10,000

Side Effects

$1,000

Total Annual

$11,200

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

7

ICER

$30,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$24,889

Cost per Responder

$18,667

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
CSF White Blood Cell Count50 cells/uL
-80% (-40 cells/uL)
Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scoremRS score: 4/6
-50% (-2 points)
Cerebral Edema Volume on MRI15 cm³
-50% (-7.5 cm³)
Body Temperature102.5 °F
-3.4% (-3.5 °F)
Secondary Benefits
Seizure Frequency5 seizures/day
-80% (-4 seizures/day)
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scoreMoCA score: 18/30
+22.2% (+4 points)
Hospital Length of Stay21 days
-25% (-5.25 days)
Common Side Effects
Hyperglycemia
+40%
Insomnia
+15%
Increased infection risk
+10%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
3
Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG)
80% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 55% Safety• 12 trials• 2.5K participants
MODERATE EvidenceGood ValueDose: 0.4g/kg IV daily for 5 days
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
55
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

5-10 days

Duration

5 days, may repeat

Response Rate

60%

Remission Rate

45%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

4

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

50

Common Side Effects:

Headache: 15%
Fever/Chills: 10%
Aseptic meningitis: 2%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$20,000

Monitoring

$10,000

Side Effects

$500

Total Annual

$30,500

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

7

ICER

$95,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$67,778

Cost per Responder

$50,833

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score4/6 (severe disability)
-50% (-2 points)
Seizure frequency5 seizures/week
-80% (-4 seizures/week)
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score10/15 (moderate coma)
+40% (+4 points)
CSF White Blood Cell (WBC) count20 cells/uL
-75% (-15 cells/uL)
Secondary Benefits
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score20/30 (mild cognitive impairment)
+25% (+5 points)
Length of Hospital Stay30 days
-50% (-15 days)
EQ-5D Health Utility Index0.4 (on a 0-1 scale)
+75% (+0.3 index points)
Common Side Effects
Headache
+15%
Fever/Chills
+10%
Aseptic meningitis
+2%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
4
Plasma Exchange (PLEX)
80% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 50% Safety• 70 trials• 2K participants
MODERATE EvidenceModerate ValueDose: 1-1.5 plasma volumes exchanged per session
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
50
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

5-10 days

Duration

5-7 exchanges over 1-2 weeks

Response Rate

60%

Remission Rate

45%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

4

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

10

Common Side Effects:

Hypotension: 15%
Citrate toxicity: 10%
Catheter-related infection: 2%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$0

Monitoring

$35,000

Side Effects

$1,500

Total Annual

$36,500

Cost-Effectiveness

MODERATE

QALYs Gained

7

ICER

$110,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$81,111

Cost per Responder

$60,833

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+80%
Response Rate
+60%
Remission Rate
+45%
Common Side Effects
Hypotension
+15%
Citrate toxicity
+10%
Catheter-related infection
+2%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
5
Rituximab
75% Effectiveness• 80% Confidence• 40% Safety• 6 trials• 1K participants
MODERATE EvidencePoor ValueDose: 375 mg/m2 weekly for 4 doses
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
40
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks to 1-2 months

Duration

Initial course, then maintenance every 6-12 months

Response Rate

70%

Remission Rate

60%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

4

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

1000

Common Side Effects:

Infusion reactions: 40%
Increased infection risk: 8%
PML (Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy): 0.05%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$20,000

Monitoring

$5,000

Side Effects

$1,000

Total Annual

$26,000

Cost-Effectiveness

POOR

QALYs Gained

8

ICER

$180,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$43,333

Cost per Responder

$37,143

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ScoremRS Score: 4/6 (severe disability)
-50% (-2 points)
Seizure Frequency5 seizures/week
-80% (-4 seizures/week)
CSF White Blood Cell Count50 cells/uL
-90% (-45 cells/uL)
Secondary Benefits
Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ScoreMMSE Score: 20/30 (mild-moderate cognitive impairment)
+25% (+5 points)
EQ-5D Utility Score0.45 (poor quality of life)
+44.4% (+0.20)
Hospital Length of Stay30 days
-50% (-15 days)
Common Side Effects
Infusion reactions
+40%
Increased infection risk
+8%
PML (Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy)
+0.05%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4