Herpes simplex virus encephalitis is a trigger of brain autoimmunity.
prospective_cohort · Level II
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 24318406.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1002/ana.24083 and PMC identifier 3961499.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
In 5 prospectively diagnosed patients with relapsing post-herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE), N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibodies were identified. Antibody synthesis started 1 to 4 weeks after HSE, preceding the neurological relapse. Three of 5 patients improved postimmunotherapy, 1 spontaneously, and 1 has started to improve. Two additional patients with NMDAR antibodies, 9 with unknown neuronal surface antibodies, and 1 with NMDAR and unknown antibodies, were identified during retrospective assessment of 34 HSE patients; the frequency of autoantibodies increased over time (serum, p=0.004; cerebrospinal fluid, p=0.04). The 3 retrospectively identified NMDAR antibody-positive patients also had evidence of relapsing post-HSE. Overall, these findings indicate that HSE triggers NMDAR antibodies and potentially other brain autoimmunity.
Medical subject headings
- Autoimmunity
- Brain
- Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex