Suzuki Y, et al. - In acute encephalitis and encephalopathy [life-threatening diseases in children], researchers examined the role of alpha 2-macroglobulin (α2M) [a blood glycoprotein that increases during the early stages of inflammation] levels. From patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, infection-related acute encephalopathy, febrile status epilepticus, and febrile seizure simplex type, they evaluated the cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples. Between January 1, 1999, and May 31, 2012, samples were gathered from the pediatric department of hospitals throughout the Fukushima Prefecture. Data reported that α2M levels in the cerebrospinal fluid were 4.7 μg/mL for acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, 2.1 μg/mL for infection-related acute encephalopathy, 1.1 μg/mL for febrile status epilepticus, and 1.0 μg/mL for febrile seizure simplex type. Findings revealed that α2 M levels were significantly higher in patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis than in patients with infection-related acute encephalopathy and febrile seizure simplex type. It was noted that α2M levels in the cerebrospinal fluid reduced with treatment in patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. According to results, α2M levels in the cerebrospinal fluid reflect the neuroinflammatory status of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis patients.