HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Cerebellar ataxia and epilepsy with anti-GAD antibodies: treatment with IVIG and plasmapheresis.

Abstract
Glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody (GAD-65) catalyses glutamate conversion into γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the central nervous system and in the pancreatic β cells. Antibodies targeting GAD-65 are of uncertain pathogenic significance and occur in stiff person syndrome, cerebellar ataxia, epilepsy, limbic encephalitis and combinations thereof and diabetes mellitus. A 45-year-old man with a cerebellar gait ataxia, dysmetria, nystagmus and mild cerebellar dysarthria was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus a year after the onset of neurological symptoms. He also developed complex and tonic-clonic seizures, resistant to anticonvulsant medication and deteriorated cognitively. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid serology, and imaging supported the diagnosis of GAD-65 cerebellar ataxia and epilepsy. He was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and subsequently plasmapheresis. We report the outcome of 3 years of treatment, which resulted in the improvement of cerebellar signs (particularly gait), with some ultimate decline of efficacy.
AuthorsZoya Georgieva, Matthew Parton
JournalBMJ case reports (BMJ Case Rep) Vol. 2014 (Jan 13 2014) ISSN: 1757-790X [Electronic] England
PMID24419643 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
Chemical References
  • Autoantibodies
  • Immunoglobulins, Intravenous
  • Glutamate Decarboxylase
Topics
  • Autoantibodies (blood)
  • Cerebellar Ataxia (complications, immunology, therapy)
  • Epilepsy (complications, immunology, therapy)
  • Gait
  • Glutamate Decarboxylase (immunology)
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulins, Intravenous (therapeutic use)
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Plasmapheresis

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: