Anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis during pregnancy: A case report and literature review

Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDA-R) encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder that was first described by Dr Vitaliani in 2005. In 2007, Dalmau et al. found anti-NMDA-R antibody expressed both in the hippocampus and prefrontal nerve cell membrane, finally proposing the diagnosis of autoimmune anti-NMDA-R encephalitis. Most of the patients are female (91%), with ages ranging from 4 to 76 years. The average age is 23 years, a birth peak age, although anti-NMDA-R encephalitis is rare during pregnancy. The disorder is characterized by prominent psychosis, dyskinesias, seizures, autonomic disturbance, and central hypoventilation. We report a 24-year-old woman hospitalized at 28 gestational weeks with acute-onset psychosis. Over the course of 3 weeks, her mental status worsened until she fell into a coma. Both serum and cerebrospinal fluid anti-NMDA-R antibodies were found to be positive. At cesarean section, a healthy baby boy was born and a wedge-shaped bilateral ovarian resection was performed. Treatment with corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, and plasmapheresis can lead to improved outcomes for both mother and baby.