• DOI:10.1177/1756285617722347
• Corpus ID: 46315631

Treatment strategies for autoimmune encephalitis

@article{Shin2018TreatmentSF,
  title={Treatment strategies for autoimmune encephalitis},
  author={Yong-Won Shin and Soon-Tae Lee and Kyungil Park and Keun-Hwa Jung and Ki-Young Jung and Sang Kun Lee and Kon Chu},
  journal={Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders},
  year={2018},
  volume={11}
}

• Y. Shin, Soon-Tae Lee, +4 authors K. Chu
• Published 16 August 2017
• Medicine, Biology
• Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders

Autoimmune encephalitis is one of the most rapidly growing research topics in neurology. Along with discoveries of novel antibodies associated with the disease, clinical experience and outcomes with diverse immunotherapeutic agents in the treatment of autoimmune encephalitis are accumulating. Retrospective observations indicate that early aggressive treatment is associated with better functional outcomes and fewer relapses. Immune response to first-line immunotherapeutic agents (corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, plasma exchange, and immunoadsorption) is fair, but approximately half or more of patients are administered second-line immunotherapy (rituximab and cyclophosphamide). A small but significant proportion of patients are refractory to all first- and second-line therapies and require further treatment. Although several investigations have shown promising alternatives, the low absolute number of patients involved necessitates more evidence to establish further treatment strategies. In this review, the agents used for first- and second-line immunotherapy are discussed and recent attempts at finding new treatment options are introduced.