AUTHOR=Xue Hua , Zeng Li , He Hongxian , Xu Dongxun , Ren Kaixin 

TITLE=Autoimmune encephalitis in COVID-19 patients: a systematic review of case reports and case series

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1207883

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2023.1207883

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Background: There is mounting evidence suggesting that autoimmune encephalitis (AE) can be observed as a neurological complication in patients with COVID-19. This review aims to summarize the clinical manifestations, types, and outcomes of COVID-19-associated AE.
Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science databases to identify case reports and case series related to COVID-19-associated AE from January 1, 2020, to March 31, 2023. After a thorough screening and evaluation, irrelevant articles were excluded. Relevant information concerning types, clinical manifestations, and outcomes was extracted and synthesized.
Results:  A total of 37 studies, comprising 34 case reports and 3 case series, were included in this review. Among the 42 COVID-19-associated AE patients, 21 cases (50%) were classified as an unknown antibodies(Ab) type of COVID-19-associated AE, 10 cases (23.80%) as anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) encephalitis, 4 cases (9.5%) as limbic encephalitis, and 3 cases (7.1%) as anti-myelin-oligodendrocyte-glycoprotein (MOG) encephalitis, along with other rare types of AE. Disturbance of consciousness, seizures, and psychiatric symptoms were identified as the main clinical manifestations of COVID-19-associated AE. While the symptoms of AE displayed variation, most patients achieved full recovery, although a few experienced residual symptoms of neurological damage.
Conclusions:  This systematic review comprehensively described the characteristics of COVID-19-associated AE. The main type of COVID-19-associated AE identified in this study is an unknown Ab type of COVID-19-associated AE. Despite COVID-19-associated AE potential life-threatening, the majority of patients survived, with some patients reporting residual neurological symptoms.