AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALITIS: LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS, PROGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN CHILDREN

*Dr. Chirag Sundesha

ABSTRACT

Autoimmune(antibody mediated)encephalitis (AE) is emerging as a more common cause of pediatric encephalopathy than previously thought. The autoimmune process may be triggered by an infection, vaccine or occult neoplasm. Affected children may initially present to psychiatrists, as neurological features are most commonly occurring symptoms,viz., movement disorders, seizures, altered consciousness level, and cognitive regression.Hypoventilation and autoimmune features may be an additional aspect. Inflammatory findings in the cerebrospinal fluid may be present but are relatively non specific. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) may also demonstrate abnormalities that provide clues for diagnosis, particularly on fluid- attenuated inversion recovery or T2- weighted images. AE is well responsive to immunotherapy, with prompt diagnosis and treatment strongly beneficial.

Keywords: Autoimmune Encephalitis, N- Methyl –D- Aspartic acid, Immunotherapy.