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Updated: May 24, 2026

Anti-Nuclear Antibody Screening Using HEp-2 Cells
Published on: June 23, 2014
[Anti-thyroid antibodies in two patients with subacute dementia, ataxia, and myoclonus]
Daniel Kondziella1, Klaus Hansen, Teresa Gonzalez
1Neurologisk Klinik, Afsnit 2094, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 København Ø, Denmark. daniel_kondziella@yahoo.com
Abstract:
Hashimoto encephalitis (HE) is a steroid-responsive autoimmune encephalitis with anti-thyroid antibodies; Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a prion disease. Both disorders can have a similar clinical presentation. Two women, 67 and 63 year-old, with subacute dementia, ataxia, myoclonus and positive antithyroid antibodies were given oral steroids. Whereas one progressively declined and had histopathologically proven CJD, the other made a complete recovery and was diagnosed with HE. Anti-thyroid antibodies can occur in CJD, but when present in a patient with subacute dementia, ataxia and myoclonus, a steroid trial always seems indicated.
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