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National Burden of Rare Disease Survey July 7, 2020

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 Associated with Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis June 25, 2020

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 […]

Calling all caregivers of children age 14-26 diagnosed with AE June 23, 2020

Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy Streat Alliance (HESA) and AE Alliance are teaming up to support you and your child with the transition from pediatric to adult AE care. Moving from pediatric to adult care in the health care system can be a complex and emotional process, especially when your child has a rare disease. A few key […]

Autoimmune Psychosis June 17, 2020

Autoimmune psychosis: an international consensus on an approach to the diagnosis and management of psychosis of suspected autoimmune origin. A group of renowned international physicians, led by Dr. Tom Pollak and senior authors Prof. Souhel Najjar, Prof. Karl Bechter and Prof. Angela Vincent, worked together to create a consensus on diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune […]

Innate Immunity in the CNS: A Missing Piece of the Autoimmune Encephalitis Puzzle? June 10, 2020

The two main classes of the immune system are the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. The main focus of an investigation into AE has been the role of the adaptive system, as exemplified by auto-antibody identification. A group in Australia led by Dr. Mastura Monif is investigating the function of the innate […]

Caregiver burden in anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis June 2, 2020

A group of doctors led by Dr. Anusha Yeshokumar have assessed care transitions and caregiver burden among caregivers of individuals with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (anti-NMDARE). Surveying caregivers about their experience caring for those with anti-NMDARE and their perceptions of disease progression and recovery provides a unique opportunity to assess aspects of care for patients who […]

Long-term Psychosocial Outcomes in Anti-NMDARE May 18, 2020

A group of doctors led by Dr. Anusha Yeshokumar has assessed the long-term impact of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (anti-NMDARE) on psychosocial outcomes, or emotional and social well-being. Adolescents and adults with self-reported anti-NMDARE were invited to complete an online survey distributed by the Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance and the Encephalitis Society in 2018. The survey was […]

Clinical Trial of IVIG in LGI1/CASPR2 Encephalitis May 14, 2020

Dr. Sean Pittock and his group at Mayo Clinic Rochester recently completed a clinical trial that was co-sponsored by the AE Alliance. The study evaluated IVIG treatment in patients with autoimmune epilepsy who fail to benefit from standard epilepsy medications and/or for those where corticosteroids are not considered a treatment option. Last week, in a […]

Thank you for your Support! May 6, 2020

AE Family and Friends, Our hearts are filled with gratitude for your extraordinary efforts yesterday, contributing to our Research Network and spreading the word to your families, friends, and colleagues about this significant opportunity to invest in AE research through the Alliance.  We set a $10,000 goal at the beginning of the campaign, and we […]

What is a registry? April 30, 2020

This morning we posted a video of Dr. Heather Van Mater on our social media, where she talks about a registry as an area of opportunity to advance AE Research. But what is a registry? Rare diseases present unique challenges for researchers and companies working towards treatments and cures; small and scattered patient populations, difficulty […]