Rapid Treatment Improves Outcomes in Children with Rare Flu Brain Complication
Study highlights the critical need for early intensive care in influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy, a severe brain swelling condition
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Influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is a rare but devastating complication of the flu in children, causing brain swelling and an extreme immune response that can lead to death or severe disability. A new study led by Stanford Medicine, published in the journal JAMA, reports that rapid identification and targeted treatment of ANE in pediatric intensive care units significantly improve chances of recovery.
Analyzing 41 cases from 23 US hospitals during the severe 2023–2025 flu seasons, the researchers found that 27 percent of children with ANE died, while 63 percent of survivors experienced moderate to severe disabilities three months post-illness. Importantly, “early, intensive management of brain swelling and the immune response really seemed to help children with this condition recover,” said co-senior author Keith Van Haren, MD, a pediatric neurologist at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, in a recent Stanford Medicine press release.
ANE mostly affected previously healthy children with a median age of 5 years, predominantly infected with influenza A. Only a small fraction had received the flu vaccine during the season they became ill. The study stresses vaccination as the primary defense, noting “vaccines really do help protect wonderfully against all those complications,” according to Van Haren.
Treatment includes immunomodulating therapies such as steroids, plasma exchange, and intravenous immunoglobulin to calm the immune system’s harmful overreaction. Co-senior author Thomas LaRocca, MD, PhD, emphasized that “it is essential that doctors promptly identify patients with ANE to ensure that these children can receive rapid, intensive care at hospitals that offer advanced neurocritical care.”
The researchers call for increased awareness among clinicians and parents, emphasizing that flu “is more than fever, aches and pains” and that vaccination remains the best prevention against life-threatening complications like ANE.
Note: This news summary was generated by AI based on a published press release, followed by a review from human editors.