An Adult Case of Mumps Brainstem Encephalitis

We present an adult case of mumps brains tern encephalitis. He was successfully treated with steroid pulse therapy and recovered completely except for persistent dysuria. He had not been vaccinated and had no history of acute mumps infection. We consider that encephalitis in this case was caused by a reversible autoimmune process triggered by mumps infection. We emphasize the usefulness of pulse therapy for the treatment of some cases of mumps brainstem encephalitis in addition to the importance of mumps vaccination to prevent such a severe complication as encephalitis. (Internal Medicine 39: 499-502, 2000)