The Importance of the Differential Diagnosis of Autoimmune Limbic Encephalitis in Patients with Neuropsychiatric Symptoms

Authors

  • Ana Samico Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental do Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia e Espinho
  • Ângela Venâncio Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental do Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia e Espinho
  • Sousa Duarte Graça Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental do Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia e Espinho

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25752/psi.8931

Keywords:

limbic encephalitis, neuropsychiatry, psychiatric diagnosis, autoimmune diseases

Abstract

Background: Autoimmune limbic encephalitis is often revealed as a paraneoplastic syndrome that can affect the central nervous system. It manifests as changes in neuropsychiatric functions and can even occur with isolated  psychiatric  symptoms.  Frequently it is the psychiatrist whom has initial contact with these patients. Thus, it is essential to consider this pathology in the differential diagnosis, because its early detection and treatment greatly improve the prognosis of several types of neoplasms.

Aims: The aim of this study was to address autoimmune limbic encephalitis as a differential diagnosis in patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Methods: For this a literature search was conducted in PubMed database with the following words: limbic encephalitis, psychiatric.

Results and Conclusions: The association between the various types of antibodies and various psychiatric disorders is highlighted, thus showing that paraneoplastic disorders provide specific examples of how autoantibodies may affect neuronal function. In addition to the importance of early detection and treatment of  this pathology, it is also necessary to enhance the role of autoimmune diseases in the knowledge of psychiatric disorders in general.

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2017-03-15

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2016)

Section

Review Articles

License

Articles are published under the license CC-BY-3.0 by Creative Commons, in full open-access, without any cost or fees of any kind to the author or the reader. In this scheme, the authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, allowing the free sharing of work, provided it is correctly attributed the authorship and initial publication in this journal.  Readers and end-users are allowed to copy, use, distribute, transmit and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship. The authors are permitted to take on additional contracts separately for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (eg, post it to an institutional repository or as a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (eg, in institutional repositories or on their website) as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as increase the impact and citation of published work.