Encephalitis care at Mayo Clinic
Your Mayo Clinic care team
Mayo Clinic's encephalitis team includes experts who specialize in the brain and nervous system (neurologists), brain imaging (neuroradiologists) and infectious diseases. Specialists in neuro-infectious diseases also are often involved in care.
Doctors at Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota have experience evaluating and treating children with encephalitis (pediatric neurologists). Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota also offers care for children with encephalitis in the Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital.
Having all of this subspecialized expertise in a single place, focused on you, means that you're not just getting one opinion. Appointments are scheduled in coordination and care is discussed among the team. Highly specialized encephalitis experts all work together to determine what's best for you or your child.
Advanced diagnosis and treatment
Encephalitis can be overlooked because symptoms are similar to other conditions. Mayo Clinic specialists have experience recognizing the clinical characteristics of encephalitis. Mayo Clinic also has advanced brain imaging to assist with diagnosis. Early diagnosis and treatment of encephalitis are important to prevent serious complications.
Latest research
Infectious diseases of the nervous system are among the most challenging neurological disorders. A major focus of Mayo Clinic researchers is to develop new diagnostic markers and treatments for encephalitis.
The Mayo Clinic experience and patient stories
Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of satisfied Mayo Clinic patients.
Comprehensive testing leads to targeted treatment for rare autoimmune encephalitis antibody
What started as a persistent headache for Spencer Lodin soon devolved into slowed speech, seizures, and hallucinations, symptoms which stumped ER doctors into thinking he had meningitis or was suffering from psychosis. Finally, specialized testing at Mayo Clinic identified Spencer's condition as GFAP-IgG associated autoimmune encephalitis, which allowed for targeted treatment and a full recovery. It was April 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, when Spencer Lodin, 37, a mail carrier from the Twin…
Unraveling a diagnostic mystery
Ed and Nancy Garber have been married for 49 years, but together for much longer than that. “Since high school,” Nancy says. “We’re high school sweethearts.” With a relationship that deep, it should come as no surprise that Nancy was the first to notice a change in Ed’s health. “In the spring of 2020, I noticed Ed was a little quieter than normal,” she says. “He was also tired and having difficulty with his right…
Expertise and rankings
Experience
Mayo Clinic healthcare professionals care for and treat over 1,800 people with encephalitis each year. Early treatment is important to prevent serious complications of encephalitis. Mayo Clinic specialists have experience recognizing the clinical characteristics of encephalitis.
Teamwork
Mayo Clinic neurologists, neuroradiologists and infectious disease specialists work together to diagnose and treat adults and children with encephalitis. Pediatric neurologists at Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota may be involved in diagnosing and treating children with encephalitis. Specialists at the Neuro-Infectious Diseases Group are frequently involved in care.
Nationally recognized expertise
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, rank among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota, and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2024-2025 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.
Learn more about Mayo Clinic's neurology and infectious diseases departments' expertise and rankings.
Mayo Clinic Children's Center
Highly skilled pediatric experts diagnose and treat all types of conditions in children. As a team, we work together to find answers, set goals and develop a treatment plan tailored to your child's needs.
Learn more about the Children's Center.
Locations, travel and lodging
Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.
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Costs and insurance
Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.
In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.
Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.
Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.