title: [Analysis of clinical features for 8 patients with autoimmune dementia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the clinical features and therapeutic profiles of autoimmune dementia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight hospitalized patients with autoimmune dementia during March 2011 and May 2013 were recruited and retrospectively analyzed for clinical features, as well as therapeutic and prognosis profiles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 3 males and 5 females with a onset age range of 45-72 years. Their onsets varied from acute (n = 3), subacute (n = 1) to chronic (n = 4).Six of them had a fluctuating course. The diagnoses were multiple sclerosis (n = 3), paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (n = 2) and Hashimoto's encephalopathy (n = 1), microscopic polyangiitis (n = 1) and unclassified autoimmune encephalopathy (n = 1). Progressive memory loss without delirium was the main symptom.In addition, 3 patients suffered epilepsy, 2 with intractable hyponatremia, 4 with positive serum autoimmune or paraneoplastic antibodies, 7 with inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid, 4 with abnormal electroencephalography (EEG) and 8 with various changes on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Two patients had concurrent Hashimoto's thyroiditis and another with small cell lung cancer. All patients improved after treatment with immunological and antineoplastic therapies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Autoimmune dementia has complex causes with a rapidly progressive and fluctuating course. The coexisting conditions include epilepsy, hyponatremia, organ-specific autoimmunity, inflammatory spinal fluid with abnormal EEG and brain MRI findings.Immunotherapy is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Weihe
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Yujuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Xudong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Shuhong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Zunjing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China. Email: jiaojinsong@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Jinsong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases; D003704:Dementia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies