Article

Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) refers to a rare, newly described, group of diseases
associated with specific circulating autoantibodies directed against neuronal
proteins used as biomarkers of the disease. Characterization of the associated
autoantibodies present in the patients' cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or sera can
differentiate the various AE subgroups, which have specific clinical
presentations and prognoses, and is therefore essential for proposing appropriate
treatments. As psychiatric symptoms may predominate at the onset or over the
course of these diseases, the diagnosis is frequently delayed. Yet, patients'
prognoses depend on the speed with which the disease is detected, identified and
managed. A wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms is observed according to the
patient's AE subgroup, and some are highly suggestive of an immune origin and
should be recognized as such by physicians. Because the presence of pronounced
psychiatric symptoms drives patients to psychiatric institutions, which can
hinder the diagnosis, physicians need to be aware of AE and propose the detection
of autoantibodies as early as possible to provide optimal medical care to such
patients. In fact, the description of AE subgroups over the past decade has
allowed the present overview of their incidence in psychiatric diseases and some
general guidelines for the management of these patients.
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Langue : ANGLAIS