Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy: A rare condition associated with Hashimoto’s
There is a very rare disorder that has been linked to Hashimoto’s, where the brain function has been impaired (called encephalopathy).
What is encephalopathy?
Encephalopathy is a general term that describes a group of conditions that cause brain dysfunction. Brain dysfunction may include confusion, memory loss, personality changes, and even coma in severe cases.
There are different types of encephalopathy, which also have underlying causes, for example hepatic encephalopathy (caused by liver disease), and hypertensive encephalopathy (caused by high blood pressure).
Now we also have Hashimoto’s encephalopathy. Let’s look at what the research knows thus far.
Hashimoto’s encephalopathy
This is a very rare disorder that has been linked to Hashimoto’s, where the brain function has been impaired (called encephalopathy).
While the causes are not known yet, the affected individuals have very high levels of antithyroid antibodies (specifically TPO antibodies). But researchers are not sure yet if these antibodies play a role in the development of Hashimoto’s encephalopathy, or if it is just coincidental that there are high levels of thyroid antibodies.
The most common clinical signs include unexplained or epilepsy-like seizures resistant to anti-convulsive treatment, confusion, headaches, hallucinations, stroke-like episodes, coma, impairment of cognitive function, behavioral and mood disturbance, focal neurological deficits, disturbance of consciousness, ataxia, and presenile dementia (1).
To find out if you have Hashimoto’s encephalopathy, doctors will test cerebrospinal fluid, and do a selection of tests which typically include EEG, MRI, SPECT and a neuropsychological examination.
How is it treated? A course of corticosteroid treatment usually provides a dramatic recovery. There was also a case that showed improvement only after intravenous immunoglobulin treatment.
Sources:
(1) Hashimoto Encephalopathy: A Rare Intricate Syndrome. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3693614/