Frontiers in Neurology (Sep 2019)

Severe Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis Under Immunosuppression After Liver Transplantation

  • Franz Felix Konen,
  • Philipp Schwenkenbecher,
  • Konstantin Fritz Jendretzky,
  • Martin Werner Hümmert,
  • Florian Wegner,
  • Martin Stangel,
  • Kurt-Wolfram Sühs,
  • Thomas Skripuletz

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2019.00987
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is a rare and often therapy-responsive autoimmune disease that usually affects young adults and causes neuropsychiatric symptoms. Here, we describe a 69-year-old patient who developed anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis while being under adequate immunosuppressive therapy following liver transplantation. Although a broad spectrum of different immunotherapies was applied and anti-NMDA receptor antibody titers gradually decreased, the clinical course could not be affected positively. Autoimmune encephalitis after transplantation is only described in a few cases and not well-recognized. Our case adds further evidence for anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis as the cause of neuropsychiatric symptoms even under immunosuppressive therapy in a post-transplant setting.

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