CASPR2-Antibody, GAD65, GFAP, IgLON5, LGI1 Antibody Associated Encephalitis, NMDAR Autoimmune Encephalitis
Conditions
Keywords
Paraneoplastic neurological disorder, autoimmune encephalitis
Brief summary
Autoimmune encephalitides are severe neurological disorders requiring urgent treatment, even though there is no standard guideline by lack of empirical evidence. Commonly used treatments are divided into so-called first-line (steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins, plasma exchanges) and second-line (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, tocilizumab, others), and may be used in association or sequentially. There is no standard practice, and initial treatment protocol may consist in first-line alone, first-line with rituximab, or first-line with dual immunosuppression (rituximab and cyclophosphamide). Absence of clear response to initial treatment in the first 4 to 6 weeks may indicate undertreatment and is generally followed by treatment escalation, mostly to dual immunosuppression. However, as the frequency of non-responders to initial treatment is unknown, it is still unclear whether dual immunosuppression should be offered to all patients from inception.
Interventions
The patients will be identified via the French Nationwide Multidisciplinary Team Meetings for Autoimmune encephalitis, which are conducted on a bi-monthly basis. All patients with newly diagnosed NMDAR, LGI1, CASPR2, IgLON5, GFAP or GAD65 encephalitis and treated for less than 8 weeks will be included. Treatment protocols at the initiation of therapy will be stratified into: 1) first-line only; 2) rituximab without cyclophosphamide; 3) rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide; 4) others. The referral clinicians will be contacted by email and the data will be collected using standardized questionnaires, which will be sent at baseline (visit 1, V1) and 4 months after the initiation of therapy (visit 2, V2). The questionnaires will be structured into 7 sections: * 1 Demographics * 2 Symptoms * 3 Cognitive screening tests (MMSE, MoCA, and/or others) * 4 Level of dependence (ADL, I-ADL, mRS, CASE) and impact on social life * 5 Diagnostic tests (brain MRI, brain PET, CSF, and EEG findings)
Sponsors
Study design
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
* Adult or child patient with encephalitis defined as anti-GAD, NMDAR, LGI1, CASPR2, IgLON5 or GFAP * Untreated or with a decision to treat within the previous 30 days.
Exclusion criteria
\- Refusal by the referring doctor to participate or refusal by the patient mentioned in the objection to the use of his/her clinical data.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Failure of the initial treatment protocol | At baseline and 4 months after the initiation of therapy | Failure of the initial treatment protocol, reflected by the decision to escalate treatment between V1 and V2. Treatment escalation is defined as the addition of one or more second-line treatments more than 30 days after the start of the initial treatment. |
Countries
France