Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Anti-NMDA (N-methyl D-aspartate) receptor encephalitis is an acute form of encephalitis, potentially lethal but with high probability for recovery, caused by autoimmune reaction against NR1- and NR2-subunits of the glutamate NMDA receptor. Different descriptions and syndromal designations for this disease existed in the medical literature prior to 2007, when the cause was established and it received its current name. The disease is associated with tumours, mostly teratomas of the ovaries, and thus is considered a paraneoplastic syndrome. Howerever, there are a substantial number of cases with no detectable cancerous tissue.According to a review of 100 cases in The Lancet, 91 of the 100 patients were women, mean age of all patients numbered 23 years (5-76 range); of the 98 patients that underwent an oncological screening 58 had a tumour, predominantly an ovarian teratoma. All patients presented with psychiatric symptoms or memory problems