Paraclinical serum markers as aids in the diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis

Expert opinion suggests the presence ANA and thyroid antibodies may be helpful to diagnosis autoimmune encephalitis (AE). This study investigates the sensitivity of these serum markers in a cohort of 26 patients with AE. TPO-Ab, TG-Ab and ANA (titer ≥1:320) were present in 45%, 35% and 32% of patients tested, respectively. The prevalence of TPO-Ab (11.3%), TG-Ab (10.4%) and ANA ≥1:320 (3.3%) has been previously reported in disease-free populations. Although these antibodies represent non-specific markers of autoimmunity, this study demonstrated that TPO-Ab, TG-Ab and ANA were significantly elevated in AE compared to disease-free populations (p < .001, p = .003, p < .001, respectively).