Who is Steve Magnante? Brain health issues explored amid encephalitis fears

Prominent automotive journalist Steve Magnante is suffering from a serious health problem, increasing concern among his family members and fans. According to the YouTube channel Uncle Tony's Garage, Magnante has been diagnosed with a brain infection called encephalitis, which refers to brain inflammation.

Besides being an automotive journalist, Steve is a historian, drag racer, car builder, and TV host. Steve has worked with many magazines and built a lot of cars for around 30 years.

Magnante's close friend Rick Debruhl also confirmed the brain infection. His medical team is trying to help him as much as possible, and his family has requested privacy.

---

Steve Magnante developed an interest in cars at a very young age

Steve Magnante, also known as Stephen Preisach Magnante, developed an interest in matchbox cars at a young age. He later built his first model car kit, the 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo by AMT.

He started researching real cars in high school and witnessed many cars in the parking lots at the time. However, he did not have enough money to purchase any of them, and his parents used to drive around in various economy cars. Steve Magnante's mother was a graphic designer, and his father was an optical physicist.

Steve Magnante has worked with a lot of magazines and has built various cars over the years (Image via @stevemagnante/Instagram)

Steve Magnante graduated from Clark University in 1986. His grandmother left an inheritance of $10,000 for him. He purchased a half-restored 1968 Hemi Charger R/T and drove it for around three years. He sold the car for $16,000 and paid his college loans. He continued to work on more cars like the 1968 Dart GTS 340 convertible, the 1970 Barracuda 383, and more.

Steve later worked as a gas pump jockey and mechanic at a local Sunoco station. In 1992, he came to California and sold his vintage car magazines at the Veteran's Stadium for $286. He then became an associate editor at the Chrysler Power magazine. He was also a freelance writer.

His work at the Hot Rod magazine as an associate editor also boosted his career. Magnant developed a close friendship with racing personalities like Ronnie Sox, Richard Petty, and Linda Vaughn. Steve Magnante's biggest break came after joining Speed TV. He spends most of his time working in his garage.

---

What is encephalitis? Symptoms, causes, prevention, and more explained

Mayo Clinic states that encephalitis is "inflammation of the brain." Encephalitis is of two types - infectious and autoimmune. The former can happen due to brain infection, and the latter can happen when the immune system attacks the brain.

Headache, fever, and fatigue or weakness are a few symptoms of encephalitis. Severe symptoms like confusion, seizures, and loss of consciousness can last for a few weeks. In children, the symptoms are usually nausea, vomiting, stiffness, poor feeding, and irritability.

Certain viruses like Epstein-Barr and poliovirus are a few causes of the disease. Risk factors of encephalitis include age, weak immune system, geographical area, season, autoimmune disease, and smoking.

Complications resulting from encephalitis depend on an individual's age, the causes of the infection, and the severity of the illness. The problem can be prevented by practicing good hygiene, avoiding the sharing of utensils, and getting vaccinations.