Anti-NMDAR encephalitis
From IDWiki
Background
- Relatively common cause of autoimmune encephalitis
- More common in women of childbearing age (18 to 45)
- Associated with ovarian teratoma and sometimes other tumours
- Pathophysiology is from the production of IgG antibodies targetting NMDA receptors
Clinical Manifestations
- Myriad symptoms
- Subacute presentation that can be organised into:
- Prodromal phase, with flu-like illness last weeks up to a few months
- Psychotic phase, with variable psychiatric manifestations, with fairly rapid onset sometimes prompting admission to psychiatric units
- Unresponsive phase
- Hyperkinetic phase, usually oro-lingual dyskinesia (lip-smacking, tongue protrusion, jaw movements), but can be a variety of movement disorders
- Recover phase
Diagnosis
- Anti-NMDAR IgG antibodies, detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay in the serum and the CSF
