Autoimmune encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain that occurs when the immune system attacks the brain cells themselves, impairing their functioning and causing symptoms such as tingling in the body, visual changes, seizures or agitation, for example, that may or may not disappear afterwards.-effects.
This disease is rare and can affect people of all ages.There are different types of autoimmune encephalitis because they depend on the type of antibody that attacks the cells and the affected area of the brain, some of the main examples being anti-NMDA encephalitis, disseminated acute encephalitis or limbic encephalitis, for example, which can occur from neoplasm, after infections or without a clear cause.
- Although autoimmune encephalopathy does not have a specific cure.
- It can be treated with the use of certain medications.
- Such as anticonvulsants.
- Corticosteroids.
- Or immunosuppressants.
- For example.
- That relieve symptoms.
- Reduce inflammation.
- And help restore all brain functioning capabilities.
Because autoimmune encephalitis affects brain function, symptoms vary by affected region; However, the most common signs include:
In addition, when communication between neurons is severely affected, they can also occur in the form of hallucinations, delusions or paranoid thoughts.
Therefore, some cases of autoimmune encephalitis can be misdiagnosed, such as a psychiatric disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.When this happens, treatment is not done correctly and symptoms may worsen over time or show no signs of significant improvement.
To make the correct diagnosis of this disease it is important to consult a neurologist, because in addition to assessing symptoms, it is also important to perform other diagnostic tests, such as cerebrospinal fluid tests, MRI or electroencephalogram to detect brain.indicating the existence of autoimmune encephalitis.
Blood tests may also be done to determine if there are antibodies that can cause these types of changes.Some of the main autoantibodys are anti-NMDAR, anti-VGKC or anti-GlyR, for example, specific to each type of encephalitis.
In addition, to investigate autoimmune encephalitis, your doctor should also rule out other, more common causes of brain inflammation, such as viral or bacterial infections.
O tratamento para encefalite autoimune é iniciado com um ou mais dos seguintes tipos de tratamento:
Medications may also be needed to reduce symptoms such as anticonvulsants or anxiolytics, such as.
In addition, it is important that the person affected by autoimmune encephalitis undergo rehabilitation, and physical therapy, occupational therapy or psychiatric follow-up may be necessary to decrease symptoms and reduce possible sequelae.
The specific cause of this type of encephalitis is not yet known and, in many cases, appears in healthy people, it is also thought that autoantibodys may come from certain types of infection, by bacteria or viruses, which can lead to the production of inappropriate antibodies.
However, autoimmune encephalitis can also appear as one of the manifestations of a ranged tumor, such as lung or uterine cancer, for example, called paraneoplasic syndrome, so in the presence of autoimmune encephalitis it is necessary to study the presence of cancer.