Autoimmune encephalitis. A review Encefalitis autoinmunes: Criterios diagnósticos y pautas terapéuticas

Abstract

© 2018, Sociedad Medica de Santiago. All Rights reserved.Autoimmune encephalitis are one of the emergent causes of subacute changes in the level of consciousness, behavior, cognitive impairment and seizures, mainly in young people. They are a consequence of inflammation or dysfunction of parts of the brain caused by antibodies against specific brain antigens, usually located in the limbic system, resulting in clinical presentation as a limbic encephalitis. The objectives of this article are to show the clinical presentation, complementary studies and treatment of this entity, considering that the patient´s prognostic depends on a high level of clinical suspicion, and on an early initiation of immunosuppressive therapy. We did a nonsystematic review of the literature on autoimmune encephalitis between 2005 and 2017. We conclude that the prevalence of autoimmune encephalitis is increasing, even surpassing infectious causes of encephalitis in developed countries. Clinical presentation inc