Introduction: Hashimoto’s encephalitis (HD) is a clinical entity characterized by neurological alterations associated with the presence of positive antithyroid antibodies. This encephalopathy responds well to management with corticosteroids.
Objective: The objective of the manuscript is to present the case of a patient with Hashimoto’s encephalitis.
Clinical case: This is an 18-year-old woman with no significant history, who was admitted for a 5-day history that began with photopsias, recurrent generalized tonic-clonic seizure episodes, with recovery of consciousness between seizures. On admission she was tachycardic, disoriented, unresponsive during questioning, symmetrical pupils, with presence of vertical nystagmus, preferential gaze to the right, clonic facial and left upper limb movements. Paraclinical and imaging studies on admission were normal. On the third day of admission, the patient presented status epilepticus with ventilatory failure, so she decided to manage a barbiturate coma. Lumbar puncture showed hyperproteinorrachia as the only finding; extension studies ruled out autoimmune encephalitis; however, she had subclinical hypothyroidism with positive antiperoxidase antibodies (Anti-TPO). Given this, it was suspected that she had Hashimoto’s encephalitis, so treatment with corticosteroids (prednisolone 50 mg every day) was given, resulting in an adequate clinical evolution of the patient.
Conclusions: This is a low prevalence disease, with varied neurological and psychiatric symptoms, where one of the most important criteria for this pathological entity is the presence of positive antithyroid antibodies with a good response to management with corticosteroids.
