Amyloid-beta-related angiitis: a treatable rapidly progressive dementia
Memoona Nasir1, Donald Nortey2, Naveed Malek2
1Department of Neurology, Queen's Hospital, Romford, UK memoona.nasir@nhs.net.
Abstract:
A 73-year-old woman developed cognitive decline over 1 year. MR scan of the brain showed a focal asymmetrical leukoencephalopathy involving the right frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobes. Extensive laboratory investigations found no cause but brain biopsy identified amyloid-beta-related angiitis (ABRA), a potentially treatable cause of rapid-onset dementia. We gave intravenous methylprednisolone and then two courses of intravenous cyclophosphamide, after which her cognitive skills gradually but significantly improved over several months.
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