What does encephalitis refer to?

Encephalitis refers specifically to inflammation of the brain. This condition often results from viral infections but can also be caused by bacterial infections, autoimmune responses, or other factors leading to an inflammatory response in the brain tissue. Symptoms of encephalitis can include headache, fever, confusion, seizures, and neurological deficits, depending on the severity and the areas of the brain affected.

The other options provided do not describe encephalitis accurately. The swelling of the spinal cord describes a different condition related to the spinal cord itself rather than the brain. Tumor growth in the brain refers to the development of abnormal cell growth that can compress or invade brain tissue but does not involve inflammation per se. A type of seizure disorder involves various conditions that may arise from multiple causes but does not encompass the inflammatory aspect that defines encephalitis.