Journal of Hospital Medicine
Early clinical and laboratory indicators for differentiating infectious from autoimmune encephalitis in pediatric patients: A single‐center retrospective cohort study
Abstract Background Pediatric encephalitis is associated with significant morbidity. Early recognition of autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is critical for timely immunotherapy and improved outcomes. Objectives To externally validate a previously published adult encephalitis prediction model in a pediatric cohort and identify predictors of pediatric AE. Methods This retrospective single‐center study included children 90 days to 21 years with encephalitis between January 2016 and September 2025. Clinical and laboratory d …