title: Autoimmune limbic encephalitis causing fits, rapidly progressive confusion and hyponatraemia.
abstract: A 78-year-old woman presented with a short history of confusion and seizures and was found to be hyponatraemic. Routine investigations failed to find a cause. Magnetic resonance imaging showed encephalitic changes in the temporal lobes, and voltage-gated potassium-channel antibodies were found in her blood in high titre. Although rare, this condition is important because it may respond to immunosuppression.
authors.affiliation: West Heath Hospital, Rednal Road, West Heath, Birmingham B38 8 HR, UK. edmund.dunstan@uhb.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Edmund James
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Dunstan
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Winer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003221:Confusion; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007010:Hyponatremia; D020363:Limbic Encephalitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated / Q000276:immunology; D012640:Seizures
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated