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Case Report: Autoimmune Encephalitis Associated With Anti-glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Antibodies: A Pediatric Case Series.

ABSTRACT: Background: Antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) are associated with various neurologic conditions described in patients, including stiff person syndrome, cerebellar ataxia, refractory epilepsy, and limbic and extralimbic encephalitis. There have been some case reports and investigations regarding anti-GAD65 antibody-associated encephalitis in adult populations, but pediatric cases are rare. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of three anti-GAD65 antibody-positive patients to explore the diversity and clinical features of anti-GAD65 antibody-associated pediatric autoimmune encephalitis. Methods: The clinical data of a series of three patients positive for anti-GAD65 antibody were retrospectively analyzed. GAD65 antibodies were determined in serum and CSF using a cell-based assay. Results: All three patients were female, and the onset ages were 4 years and 9 months, 6 years, and 16 years old. Their clinical phenotypes included autoimmune limbic encephalitis, extralimbic encephalitis, and encephalitis combining limbic and extralimbic encephalitis. The clinical symptoms included seizures, memory deficits, drowsiness, dysautonomia, and headache. All patients had abnormal carinal MRI and EEG. All patients received immunotherapy and had transiently good responsiveness, but one patient then experienced relapse. In follow-up, one patient with extralimbic encephalitis recovered completely, while two patients with limbic involvement had poor outcomes with refractory focal epilepsy. Conclusion: In addition to limbic encephalitis, extralimbic encephalitis is also an important phenotype in patients who are positive for anti-GAD65 antibodies. Early diagnosis and immunotherapy can improve the symptoms. However, patients with limbic encephalitis often have refractory epilepsy in the chronic phase and have a poor long-term outcome.

SUBMITTER: Ren C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8072212 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Little is known of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GAD-abs) in the paraneoplastic context. Clinical recognition of such cases will lead to prompt tumor diagnosis and appropriate treatment.To report the clinical and immunological features of patients with paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) and GAD-abs.Retrospective case series study and immunological investigations conducted in February 2014 in a center for autoimmune neurological disorders. Fifteen cases with GAD65-abs evaluated between 1995 and 2013 who fulfilled criteria of definite or possible PNS without concomitant onconeural antibodies were included in this study.Analysis of the clinical records of 15 patients and review of 19 previously reported cases. Indirect immunofluorescence with rat hippocampal neuronal cultures and cell-based assays with known neuronal cell-surface antigens were used. One hundred six patients with GAD65-abs and no cancer served as control individuals.Eight of the 15 patients with cancer presented as classic paraneoplastic syndromes (5 limbic encephalitis, 1 paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis, 1 paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, and 1 opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome). When compared with the 106 non-PNS cases, those with PNS were older (median age, 60 years vs 48 years; P?=?.03), more frequently male (60% vs 13%; P?<?.001), and had more often coexisting neuronal cell-surface antibodies, mainly against ?-aminobutyric acid receptors (53% vs 11%; P?<?.001). The tumors more frequently involved were lung (n?=?6) and thymic neoplasms (n?=?4). The risk for an underlying tumor was higher if the presentation was a classic PNS, if it was different from stiff-person syndrome or cerebellar ataxia (odds ratio, 10.5; 95% CI, 3.2-34.5), or if the patient had coexisting neuronal cell-surface antibodies (odds ratio, 6.8; 95% CI, 1.1-40.5). Compared with the current series, the 19 previously reported cases had more frequent stiff-person syndrome (74% vs 13%; P?=?.001) and better responses to treatment (79% vs 27%; P?=?.005). Predictors of improvement in the 34 patients (current and previously reported) included presentation with stiff-person syndrome and the presence of a thymic tumor.Patients with GAD-abs must be screened for an underlying cancer if they have clinical presentations different from those typically associated with this autoimmunity or develop classic PNS. The risk for cancer increases with age, male sex, and the presence of coexisting neuronal cell-surface antibodies.

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Case Report: Autoimmune Encephalitis Associated With Anti-glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Antibodies: A Pediatric Case Series.

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