Autoimmune encephalitis, the great masquerader: A case report and review of successful outcome in a child

Abstract

Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is an important and treatable cause of acute encephalitis. It may mimic other conditions of the central nervous system, including primary psychiatric disorders, particularly early in the disease course. Due to similarities in clinical, imaging, and laboratory findings between autoimmune and infectious encephalitis, as well as limited awareness and availability of specific antibody testing, AE remains an elusive, often underrecognized etiology. If left untreated, it may be fatal or leave significant morbidities, but with prompt recognition and sequential immunotherapy, the prognosis is encouraging despite a stormy disease course. We report a 4-year-old child with abnormal behavior and recurrent seizures who was referred as encephalitis and subsequently diagnosed as AE and managed at our hospital. He recovered well because of early identification and adequate management.