Introduction:

Meningitis, encephalitis and meningoencephalitis are caused by several pathogens, but viral etiology is the most common. Diagnosis consists of clinical history, observation of the patient and isolation of the agent. The virus is often not identified and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The long-term prognosis is not yet widely discussed, but the most common sequelae include difficulty concentrating, behavioral and/or speech disorders and memory loss. Many of these patients do not return to work and a good number of those who do that require some readjustment in their tasks.

Case Report:

This is a case of a 47-year-old nurse working in an Internal Medicine service, in which two weeks after providing care to a patient with meningoencephalitis, a condition compatible with the same diagnosis began. Because it is considered to be related to the health care provided, it is reported as a suspected Occupational Disease, but it is not recognized. After four years of initial participation, she started complaining of difficulty with attention and memory, with progressive evolution, being evaluated by Neurology, without conclusive results. Over this time it was necessary to restrict some nursing tasks, essentially due to memory difficulties. Due to worsening of complaints, five years after the first neurology evaluation, the patient is evaluated one more time. It is again reported as a suspected Occupational Disease, being recognized with a permanent partial disability of 82.5%.

Discussion/ Conclusion:

As infections are transmitted in the provision of healthcare, it is important to take into account measures that reduce transmissibility and protect Healthcare Professionals, for which the Occupational Health Service is fundamental, participating in diagnosis and referral, but essentially contributing to adaptation initial position of the job, keeping the worker active for as long as possible. The delay in recognizing the Occupational Disease results from the fact that the consequences only appear several years later and are progressive in nature. This case emphasizes the heavy burden of the sequelae of meningoencephalitis, resulting in a high degree of disability, incompatible with the continuous exercise of the profession. It was possible to establish the association with professional activity, which reinforces the risk to which Healthcare Professionals are exposed.

        · resumen en Portugués     · texto en Portugués     · Portugués ( pdf )