1Department of Neurology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan, Korea, 2Department of Neurology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
ABSTRACT
Encephalitic syndrome is a common medical emergency. The importance of early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is very important to improve prognosis. If initial investigations for infectious agents prove negative, other diagnoses must be considered promptly. Autoimmune encephalitis are being increasingly recognized as important non-infectious causes of an encephalitic syndrome. Auto-antibodies to the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor, gamma-aminobutylic acid type B receptor, and AMPA receptors and to leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 and contactin associated protein-like 2 components of the voltage-gated potassium channel complex, have been recently recognized as autoimmune encephalitis. This article will review the rising recognition of autoimmune encephalitis and emphasis timely initiation of treatment, because this potentially life-threatening diseases response well to immunomodulatory therapy.