Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Epilepsy Article Date: 30 Mar 2012 - 5:00 PDT

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According to the researchers:

Seizures are prevalent in autoimmune neurologic disorders, such as limbic encephalitis.

Amy M. L. Quek, M.B.B.S., of the Mayo Clinic, College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn., and her team collected data from the Mayo Clinic computerized diagnostic index from patients diagnosed with autoimmune epilepsy who were assessed between January 2005 and December 2010 in both the Autoimmune Neurology Clinic and Epilepsy Clinic, in order to assess clinical characteristics and immunotherapy responses in individuals suffering with autoimmune epilepsy.

Of the patient data examined, the researchers found 32 patients eligible for inclusion in the study. All participants of the study had partial seizures, 81% had daily seizures and had failed treatment with 2+ AEDs, while the remaining participants had at least one seizure per month. Despite AED therapy, 27 of the 32 participants received immunotherapy for treatment of persistent seizures.

The authors found that 81% (22 of 27) of the participants reported improvement following immunotherapy after a median follow-up time of 17 months (3-72 months). In addition, the team found that 18 participants were seizure free. 44% (8) of these 18 patients were seizure free within 12 weeks of starting immunotherapy. Although 5 participants did not respond to the treatment, 2 of the 5 showed subsequent improved after the AEDs were changed.

The authors conclude:

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Early Autoimmune Therapy Helps Autoimmune Epilepsy Patients