Sir – Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain which is caused either by an infection invading the brain or through the immune system attacking the brain in error. It is extremely difficult to diagnose and rare — although around 6,000 people are diagnosed each year in England alone there are probably many more which are not identified.


Without treatment, eight in ten people die and even with treatment lots still die. Those lucky enough to survive are usually left with a life-long brain injury which has a massive impact not only on their lives, but on the lives of their family and friends.


I was one of the lucky ones. I contracted an auto-immune encephalitis, although at first doctors could not diagnose it. The symptoms were increasing headaches, then one day while at work the words coming out of my mouth were very different from what I was trying to say. In fact, they were complete gobbledygook! My boss suggested I go home, presumably thinking I was over-stressed.


While driving home, I became aware that I could not drive in a straight line, I felt sick and threw up. I managed to call my wife at home and she realised something was seriously wrong.


Through my garbled words, she managed somehow to work out where I was and she drove to the scene, picked me up and took me to the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Later, I was transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where I was given successful treatment.
Your neurology team at the John Radcliffe Hospital is a leading hospital in this rare and complex condition.


Robert Beveridge, Caversham