Western Equine Encephalomyelitis in a 22yo Male - Help cure him?
Where: Arizona and New Jersey
When: 2008, November through April.
Who: A 22-year-old male college student afflicted with Western Equine Encephalomyelitis. Very athletic and otherwise healthy up to this point in his life. He collapsed during a basketball game and has been comatose for two to two-and-a-half weeks. His doctors are at a loss as to what may be causing the coma.
What: A friend of mine is writing a House fanfiction, and is having some trouble finding information on the treatment of coma patents and people afflicted with Western Equine Encephalomyelitis. She would greatly appreciate any help you could offer concerning a number of questions:
- How would his doctors go about trying to wake him up from his coma?
- Would a CT or an MRI reveal the WEE?
- Assuming he is comatose for three to four weeks, could you exspect any lasting effect, such as brain damage?
- Would transporting him from Arizona to New Jersey to receive better care be particularily dangerous, considering his condition? What precautions would doctors take?
- How would the hospital go about transporting him cross-country? Would they likely move him by air?
- Is the only diagnosis for WEE through specific blood tests?
- Would the mosquitos that generally carry WEE be out and about during basketball season in Arizona?
-Would it be plausible for this character to have suffered a single seizure before falling in to a coma? (With headaches and flu-like symptoms beforehand).
Sites Used: http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/w/western_equine_encephalitis/intro.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/Arbor/weefact.htm
http://www.dhpe.org/infect/wee.html
http://www.lawestvector.org/WEE.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_equine_encephalitis
http://debussy.hon.ch/cgi-bin/HONselect?search
Wikipedia articles on comas and WEE. Googled: Western Equine Encephalitis, Encephalomyelitis, coma, coma treatment, coma patient transportation etc.
Thank you! =)