Encephalitis can be a disease characterized by inflammation within the brain. Depending on the aspects of your brain affected, symptoms can differ widely. These symptoms might include:
Seizures
Behavior or personality changes
Abnormal movements
Difficulty maintaining balance
Trouble thinking or speaking
Weakness
Numbness
Difficulty sleeping
Encephalitis has several specific names relating to the circumstances under which it arises. When encephalitis occurs with no clear reason, stage system autoimmune encephalitis. Post-infectious encephalitis occurs following contamination. If encephalitis happens in the setting of a tumor or cancer, it is called paraneoplastic encephalitis.
Anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis is easily the most common type of autoimmune encephalitis in children. It really is brought on by the existence of antibodies in a specific area of the nerve cells inside the brain, called NMDA-receptors. In youngsters, this kind of encephalitis isn’t connected with a tumor called an ovarian teratoma.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing autoimmune encephalitis can be difficult. Our team’s 1st step is always to execute a thorough medical workup of one’s child. We’ll document his / her complete track record and perform tests, with a neurologic examination, imaging in the brain (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and spinal fluid analysis.
All of us typically is going to do blood testing to evaluate your youngster for signs and symptoms of inflammation and autoimmune disorders. We also may test for particular antibodies within the blood and spinal fluid, which may be helpful in building a diagnosis. The existence of a specific antibody is not needed to make a diagnosis. Additionally we may screen with an underlying tumor, which generally involves whole-body imaging.
Treatment
Treatment inside the hospital targets decreasing the level of inflammation as part of your child’s brain. All of us may use high doses of steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis. As required, your youngster could also receive additional immunotherapies, such as rituximab or cyclophosphamide.
We may also use medications to treat symptoms brought on by encephalitis. If your little one has seizures, we might prescribe antiepileptic medications. For mood changes, we may prescribe antipsychotic and antidepressant medications.
Long-term follow-up with your team is vital to deal with possible consequences of encephalitis including seizures, mood and personality changes, and learning problems.
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