ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Risk Factors for Central Hypoventilation in Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis
Provisionally accepted
- Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin, China
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Objective: This study aims to identify the risk factors for central hypoventilation in patients with anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis. Methods: Patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis who were hospitalized for treatment between January 2020 and January 2025 were searched and collected from the database of Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, affiliated with Nankai University. The patients were categorized into central hypoventilation group and non-central hypoventilation group, and risk factors that may lead to central hypoventilation were collected. Statistical methods were used to compare two sets of data and identified risk factors. Results: The analysis revealed that the central hypoventilation group exhibited a higher incidence of involuntary movements (χ²=5.662, P=0.017), lower admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores (Z=-3.749, P=0.000), and elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antibody titers compared to the non-hypoventilation group (Z=-3.344, P=0.001).Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that only admission GCS score and CSF antibody titer were independent risk factors for central hypoventilation. Specifically, a lower GCS score [P=0.018, OR (95% CI): 0.556 (0.343, 0.903)] and a higher CSF antibody titer [P=0.048, OR (95% CI): 0.000 (0.000, 0.903)] significantly increased the likelihood of central hypoventilation. Conclusion: Disturbances in consciousness and elevated CSF antibody titer are risk factors for central hypoventilation in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. It is imperative to closely monitor the respiratory status and oxygenation levels of patients identified as high-risk, conduct regular blood gas analyses, and implement respiratory support and more aggressive immunotherapy when necessary.
Keywords: Anti- N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis, central hypoventilation, Risk factors, Consciousness Disorders, cerebrospinal fluid antibody titer
Received: 03 Oct 2025; Accepted: 20 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zou, Jing and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Guan en Zhou, tjzge@163.com
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