Charismatic #MakeUpArtist Sapphire Shen is passionate about her career. The 31 yr old #HongKong resident describes her work as an art form that can enhance a person’s facial features to accentuate an outfit and look & boost their self-confidence.
For more than a decade, Shen has lived with #lupus, a chronic #autoimmune#disease that mostly affects women & afflicts an estimated 7,000 people in Hong Kong and 5 million worldwide.
An amazing story: A catatonic woman awakened after 20 years. Her story may change psychiatry.
New research suggests that a subset of patients with psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia may actually have autoimmune disease that attacks the brain
“People who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 had a 25% higher risk of later being diagnosed with an autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease (AIRD) after infection than those who weren’t infected, according to a large cohort study that included more than 22 million participants in Japan and South Korea. They also had a 30% greater risk of developing AIRD, such as systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis, compared with people who had influenza, the researchers reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.” https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2816699
While I love #Ontario's healthcare system & have been well cared for through a chronic illness & 3 cesarean births with very little out of pocket... it sure can be infantilizing sometimes. Prescription drugs are rightfully given in limited amounts, but refills are gated behind forcing you to go back to your specialist.
Even this anti-inflammatory I've taken for over a decade (I have #Crohns Disease) is being kept from me. Gee thanks for the 4 day supply. 😡
Let's Get down to business! To defeat, the autoimmune encephalitides!
Autoimmune Encephalitis is the next topic I will cover.
As much as I want to skip it because its by a UCSF presenter, I'm sure they are not all scourges and shills like Vinay Prasad MD, Monica Gandhi MD (who are in part funded from Enron billionaire money from John Arnold, whom Forbes has referred to as "a disgraced former executive of Enron.")
The above is the pathophysiology of autoimmune encephalitis which highlights the role infections play in triggering a bigger problem for the host: attack of their own antigens.
The diagnosis of Autoimmune Encephalitis is generally inductive and should rule out other causes BUT, more specific criteria have been proposed known as the Graus Criteria
Of note, an antibody NEEDNT be identified. That's like looking for a needle in a stack of needles
*Infectious concurrence or precursor
*Paraneoplastic / cancer related
IVIG, IV solumedrol are often initiated in such cases and I believe I've seen cases of success with plasmapheresis as well to treat Autoimmune Encephalitis.
Rituximab or other monoclonal biologics intended to impede the immune system from attacking the brain may be employed as well.
Dr. Mooneyham is taking over and covering the overarching topic of Immunopsychiatry: the interplay of the brain, immune system, and mixed neurologic-psychiatric symptom presentation.
Cool.
The idea of a first hit -- infection -- leading to a second hit -- immune cascade response attacking the body -- is prevalent and possibly pertinent to #COVID19 brain injury and/or to some extent #LongCOVID.