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encephalitis; never developing cerebellar ataxia,   investigate other etiologies of a patient’s symptoms.
           epilepsy, or palatal tremor.                       Autoimmune limbic encephalitis should be considered
                                                              in patients with psychosis refractory to medications
           The role of autoimmune disease in pregnancy is brought   and no identifiable cause.
           to question in this case. Not only did our patient
           develop symptoms of anti-NMDAR encephalitis much   REFERENCES
           earlier in pregnancy than in previously described cases,
           but she also began having symptoms coincidentally   1.   Titulaer MJ, McCracken L, Gabilondo I, Armangué T, Glaser C,
           close to conception. Based on ultrasound dates, the    Iizuka T, Honig LS, Benseler SM, Kawachi I, Martinez‑Hernandez E,
                                                                  Aguilar E, Gresa‑Arribas N, Ryan‑Florance N, Torrents A, Saiz A,
           patient likely conceived within days of presenting to   Rosenfeld MR, Balice‑Gordon R, Graus F, Dalmau J. Treatment and
           our facility. Her symptoms of autoimmune encephalitis   prognostic factors for long‑term outcome in patients with anti‑NMDA
           also began 4 days prior to presentation. In this case,   receptor encephalitis: an observational cohort study. Lancet Neurol
           there exists a temporal relationship between the   2.   2013;12:157‑65.
                                                                  Sharma  A, Dubey  D, Sawhney  A, Janga  K. GAD65 Positive
           time of conception and development of the patient’s    autoimmune limbic encephalitis: a case report and review of
           disease process. Although, there is evidence showing   literature. J Clin Med Res 2012;4:424‑8.
           that patients with autoimmune diseases-such as     3.   Rosenfeld MR, Dalmau JO. Paraneoplastic disorders of the CNS
           multiple sclerosis and rheumatic disease-may have      and autoimmune synaptic encephalitis. Continuum (Minneap Minn)
                                                                  2012;18:366‑83.
           fewer  symptoms  during  pregnancy,  anti-NMDAR    4.   Graus F, Saiz A, Dalmau J. Antibodies and neuronal autoimmune
           encephalitis in our patient could potentially have     disorders of the CNS. J Neurol 2010;257:509‑17.
           been precipitated by pregnancy. Further studies will   5.   Matà S, Muscas GC, Naldi I, Rosati E, Paladini S, Cruciatti B, Bisulli F,
           be needed to determine if this is simply a correlation   Paganini M, Mazzi G, Sorbi S, Tinuper P. Non‑paraneoplastic limbic
                                                                  encephalitis associated with anti‑glutamic acid decarboxylase
           or if there is true causation.                         antibodies. J Neuroimmunol 2008;199:155‑9.
                                                              6.   Saiz  A, Blanco  Y, Sabater  L, González F, Bataller  L,
           This case also illustrates the need for an extensive   Casamitjana  R, Ramio‑Torrenta  L, Graus  F. Spectrum of
           search for the etiology of a patient’s neuropsychiatric   neurological syndromes associated with glutamic acid decarboxylase
           symptoms.  Prior  to  the  discovery  of  the  described   antibodies: diagnostic clues for this association. Brain 2008;131:
                                                                  2553‑63.
           neuronal autoantibodies, a patient presenting      7.   Kumar MA, Jain A, Dechant VE, Saito T, Rafael T, Aizawa H,
           with  Hashimoto’s  thyroiditis  and  neuropsychiatric   Dysart KC, Katayama T, Ito Y, Araki N, Abe T, Balice‑Gordon R,
           symptoms  would have  been  diagnosed  with            Dalmau J. Anti‑N‑methyl‑D‑aspartate receptor encephalitis during
           Hashimoto’s encephalopathy.  However, even with        pregnancy. Arch Neurol 2010;67:884‑7.
                                      [5]
           anti-TPO antibodies, a more exhaustive search for
           other  antibodies  is  required  in  order  to  gain  full   Cite this article as: Goyal M, Gildersleeve KL, Tomko SL, Kass JS. Multiple
                                                               autoimmune antibody limbic encephalitis: a case in a pregnant woman.
           appreciation of the patient’s disease. Furthermore,   Neuroimmunol Neuroinflammation 2015;2(1):46-8.
           Hashimoto’s encephalopathy is responsive to steroids.   Source of Support: Nil. Conflict of Interest: No.
           Steroid-refractory disease should lead clinicians to   Received: 19-08-2014; Accepted: 30-09-2014





































            48                                             Neuroimmunol Neuroinflammation | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | January 15, 2015
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