13 Feb Similar Incidence of Autoimmune and Infectious Brain Inflammatory Disease Encephalitis

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Flanagan

Eoin Flanagan, M.B., B.Ch.
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota 

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Traditionally it has been thought that infections (e.g., viruses)  account for the majority of encephalitis cases. Recent discoveries of neural autoantibody markers of encephalitis (e.g., NMDA receptor autoantibodies) have led to an appreciation that encephalitis cases can be caused by the body’s own immune system attacking the brain, what we term autoimmune encephalitis.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: We found that that approximately 14 per 100,000 people alive and living in our county have had autoimmune encephalitis in their lifetime. In addition, we found that the frequency of autoimmune encephalitis and infectious encephalitis was similar. 

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? 

Response: It is important doctors are aware of this so that autoimmune encephalitis is recognized quickly and patients can be placed on the appropriate immune lowering medications. 

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: Future studies need to evaluate the frequency of autoimmune encephalitis in other populations. 

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: This study allows us to estimate that approximately 1 million people worldwide had autoimmune encephalitis in their lifetime. We also estimate that, currently, about 90,000 people around the world develop autoimmune encephalitis each year. 

Citations:

Divyanshu Dubey, Sean J. Pittock, Cecilia R. Kelly, Andrew McKeon, Alfonso Sebastian Lopez-Chiriboga, Vanda A. Lennon, Avi Gadoth, Carin Y. Smith, Sandra C. Bryant, Christopher J. Klein, Allen J. Aksamit, Michel Toledano, Bradley F. Boeve, Jan-Mendelt Tillema, Eoin P. Flanagan. Autoimmune encephalitis epidemiology and a comparison to infectious encephalitis. Annals of Neurology, 2018; 83 (1): 166 DOI: 10.1002/ana.25131

[wysija_form id=”3″] 

The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.

Last Updated on February 13, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD