A 22-Year-Old Woman with NMDA Receptor Antibody Encephalitis Possibly Triggered by SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Charles Ce Wang, MD, FAAN*
Senior Attending Neurologist, Department of Neurology, Senior Clinician Educator, Pritzker School of Medicine, NorthShore University Health System (Endeavor Health), Evanston, Illinois, USA.
*Corresponding Author: Charles Ce Wang, MD, FAAN, Senior Attending Neurologist, Department of Neurology, Senior Clinician Educator, Pritzker School of Medicine, NorthShore University Health System (Endeavor Health), Evanston, Illinois, USA.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58624/SVOANE.2024.05.0128
Received: January 11, 2024 Published: January 30, 2024
Abstract
A 22-year-old woman presented to the emergency department (ED) on two occasions with seizures, altered mental status, psychoses, and behavioral changes. Analysis of both serum and cerebrospinal fluid revealed positive anti-NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antibodies, confirming the diagnosis of NMDAR antibody encephalitis. Interestingly, 5-6 weeks before her ED visits, she had experienced a SARS-CoV-2 infection, potentially serving as a triggering factor for her autoimmune encephalitis. This case adds to the limited instances documented in the literature, highlighting the potential link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the onset of autoimmune encephalitis.
Keywords: NMDA receptor antibody; Autoimmune encephalitis; SARS-CoV-2
Citation: Wang CC. A 22-Year-Old Woman with NMDA Receptor Antibody Encephalitis Possibly Triggered by SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Literature Review. SVOA Neurology 2024, 5:1, 61-63.
