Introduction
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is one of the most commonly incriminated viral agents of encephalitis which describes an inflammation of the brain parenchyma (1,2). HSV-1 causes almost all cases of herpes encephalitis beyond the neonatal age, accounting for more than 90% of such cases (3). Detecting HSV DNA using PCR techniques is the gold standard test despite the presence of strongly suggestive brain MRI features. In addition to the significant mortality rate, HSV encephalitis is also associated with significant long-term sequelae including cognitive, behavioral, and memory abnormalities.
Central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis complicating the course of HSV encephalitis is a rare entity, with most such experience coming from case reports, making the pathophysiologic understanding, diagnosis, and therapeutic approach quite challenging. We present a case of HSV encephalitis complicated by CNS vasculitis in a 28-year-old male patient from Ethiopia. Currently, there are only a few such reports in the literature, and, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case report from Africa.