The AE Alliance blog endeavors to educate, inspire hope and build a community among patients, families and caregivers. This blog is written for families, patients, caregivers and anyone interested in learning more about autoimmune encephalitis.
On Tuesday October 6, we launch an exciting new Advocacy program: AE on the Hill Our long-term goal for the ‘AE on the Hill’ program is bold, empowering the AE community to advocate for themselves and their families at the local, state, and federal levels to improve the lives of all those affected by autoimmune …
Dr. Ryan Kammeyer and Dr. Amanda Piquet (University of Colorado) discuss a patient with autoimmune encephalitis (AE) with multiple auto-antibodies and review the literature to look at how these multiple auto-antibodies might relate to an underlying malignancy, and how unique features of the auto-antibodies may blend together into a new presentation. AE can occur with …
The AE community is all too familiar with insurance companies denying coverage for treatments and the cumbersome appeals process they must undergo to get that much-needed treatment. These denials and appeals take up a lot of time & energy and produce frustration and uncertainty. These complications come on top of fighting the disease itself and …
Antibodies against glutamic-acid-decarboxylase 65 (anti-GAD65) are associated with several neurologic syndromes, including stiff person syndrome and limbic encephalitis. However, their pathogenic role remains controversial. A group led by Dr. Maarten Titulaer (Erasmus University, the Netherlands) studied the clinical relevance of different anti-GAD65 concentrations in patients with neurological disorders and their response to treatment. The group …
AEA Family and Friends, We are excited to take our first formal steps in national advocacy on behalf of the AE community. The Alliance has recently joined the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Disease Community Congress, a membership-based strategic advisory council dedicated to bringing patient organizations, industry leaders, and other rare disease stakeholders together to advocate …
We are excited to share the July edition of our newsletter, featuring Q&A with our Medical Advisory Board, an inspiring AE journey, and much more! This edition is dedicated to research, spotlighting important research initiatives, and advancements in the field. Enjoy! VIEW A OUR NEWSLETTER HERE
NMDAR encephalitis is the most common form of autoimmune encephalitis. It can affect people of all ages, though it is often seen in children and young adults, and it affects women more frequently than men. Treatment is classically described as first-line immunotherapy (corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, or plasma exchange) and second-line immunotherapy (cyclophosphamide and rituximab). However, …
Since December 2019, almost 13.5 million cases and 581,103 deaths due to the coronavirus have been reported worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. There are many papers published on COVID-19 and its consequences, and we, at AE Alliance, are especially interested in how the coronavirus affects the brain. We wanted to share …
Living with a rare disease can significantly impact patients and families both financially and socially. To better understand these impacts, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases has partnered with the Lewin Group to develop an important survey that looks at expenses incurred by families living with rare diseases. These costs are important considerations in healthcare decision-making that could …
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. There are many subtypes of autism, most influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The current prevalence of ASD is estimated to be 1.5% or higher in developed …
