title: Rasmussen's encephalitis and Behcet's disease: autoimmune disorders in first degree relatives.
abstract: We report a patient with adolescent-onset, Rasmussen's encephalitis, presenting with intractable focal seizures, mild hemiparesis, cognitive impairment, dystonia, and severe hemiballism. His father had Behcet's disease, considered to be an autoimmune disorder. Recent reports have directly implicated the role of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of both Rasmussen's encephalitis and Behcet's disease. The occurrence of Behcet's disease and Rasmussen's encephalitis in the same family suggests involvement of common genetic factors such as HLA haplotypes in both autoimmune disorders. It is possible that members of this family are genetically susceptible to developing autoimmune conditions that have been precipitated by separate environmental triggers.
authors.affiliation: Bakirkoy State Hospital for Research and Training in Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, Istanbul. demet.kinay@gmail.com
authors.forename: Demet
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kinay
authors.forename: Nerses
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bebek
authors.forename: Ebru
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vanli
authors.forename: Candan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gurses
authors.forename: Ayşen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gokyigit
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Andermann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D004351:Drug Resistance; D020820:Dyskinesias / Q000209:etiology; D004421:Dystonia / Q000209:etiology; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18