Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis
Encyclopedia
Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is an acute form of encephalitis, potentially lethal but with high probability for recovery, caused by autoimmune reaction against NR1- and NR2-subunits of the glutamate NMDA receptor
. Different descriptions and syndromal designations for this disease existed in the medical literature prior to 2007, when the cause was established and it received its current name. The disease is associated with tumours, mostly teratoma
s of the ovaries, and thus is considered a paraneoplastic syndrome
. Howerever, there are a substantial number of cases with no detectable cancerous tissue.
According to a review of 100 cases in The Lancet
, 91 of the 100 patients were women, mean age of all patients numbered 23 years (5-76 range); of the 98 patients that underwent an oncological screening 58 had a tumour, predominantly an ovarian teratoma. All patients presented with psychiatric symptoms or memory problems; 76 of them suffered from seizures, 88 developed unresponsiveness (decreased consciousness), 86 - dyskinesias, 69 - autonomic instability, and 66 - hypoventilation. Tumour treatment associated with better prognosis; 75 patients got well without residual problems and 25 died or were left with severe deficits.
NMDA receptor
The NMDA receptor , a glutamate receptor, is the predominant molecular device for controlling synaptic plasticity and memory function....
. Different descriptions and syndromal designations for this disease existed in the medical literature prior to 2007, when the cause was established and it received its current name. The disease is associated with tumours, mostly teratoma
Teratoma
A teratoma is an encapsulated tumor with tissue or organ components resembling normal derivatives of all three germ layers. There are rare occasions when not all three germ layers are identifiable...
s of the ovaries, and thus is considered a paraneoplastic syndrome
Paraneoplastic syndrome
A paraneoplastic syndrome is a disease or symptom that is the consequence of the presence of cancer in the body, but is not due to the local presence of cancer cells. These phenomena are mediated by humoral factors excreted by tumor cells or by an immune response against the tumor...
. Howerever, there are a substantial number of cases with no detectable cancerous tissue.
According to a review of 100 cases in The Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
, 91 of the 100 patients were women, mean age of all patients numbered 23 years (5-76 range); of the 98 patients that underwent an oncological screening 58 had a tumour, predominantly an ovarian teratoma. All patients presented with psychiatric symptoms or memory problems; 76 of them suffered from seizures, 88 developed unresponsiveness (decreased consciousness), 86 - dyskinesias, 69 - autonomic instability, and 66 - hypoventilation. Tumour treatment associated with better prognosis; 75 patients got well without residual problems and 25 died or were left with severe deficits.
External links
- My mysterious lost month of madness - New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
article by Susannah Cahalan, 4th oct. 2009