When the Body Attacks the Brain: Immune System Often to Blame for Encephalitis, Study Finds

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Encephalitis caused by the immune system attacking the brain is similar in frequency to encephalitis from infections, Mayo Clinic researchers report. 

Encephalitis is a term used to describe brain inflammation. Its symptoms include fever, confusion, memory loss, psychosis and seizures. It progresses quickly over days to weeks and can be life-threatening. Traditionally, it has been thought that infections account for most cases of encephalitis, but this study shows autoimmune encephalitis is an equally common cause.

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“The results of our study suggest that doctors evaluating patients with encephalitis should search for autoimmune causes in addition to infectious causes, given both have a similar frequency,” says Eoin Flanagan, M.B., B.Ch., senior author of the population-based study and an autoimmune neurology specialist at Mayo Clinic.

Feb. 22 is World Encephalitis Day — a day to raise awareness of the illness.

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