Refractory acute disseminated encephalomyelitis with anti-galactocerebroside antibody.

Department of Neurology, Sakai Hospital, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.

Neuroscience research 2012 Dec

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Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis causes multifocal demyelination in the central nerve system. Although this disease generally responds well to steroid therapy, it is occasionally steroid-resistant, leading to poor outcomes. Serological markers of prognosis are currently unavailable. We measured anti-glycolipid antibodies in 25 consecutive patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and found that four patients were positive for anti-galactocerebroside anti bodies. All four patients had a poor response to steroids. We summarize clinical information on these four patients and three similar patients reported previously. This is the first report to describe concomitant involvement of the central nerve system and peripheral nervous system in anti-galactocerebroside antibody-associated acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, consistent with the location of galactocerebroside, and to document a dramatic response to repeated intravenous immunoglobulin therapy after unsuccessful steroid treatment in one patient. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Citation

Makoto Samukawa, Makito Hirano, Jun Tsugawa, Hikaru Sakamoto, Emi Tabata, Kazuo Takada, Motoi Kuwahara, Seiko Suzuki, Mari Kitada, Tatsuo Yamada, Hideo Hara, Yoshio Tsuboi, Yusaku Nakamura, Susumu Kusunoki. Refractory acute disseminated encephalomyelitis with anti-galactocerebroside antibody. Neuroscience research. 2012 Dec;74(3-4):284-9