Table 1:
Description of study sample
| Participant Characteristics | UHN | WUSM | Combined | p-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Patients included, n (%) | 54 (57) | 41 (43) | 95 (100) | -- |
| Median age, year (range) | 40 (14–83) | 57 (18–83) | 51 (14–83) | 0.13 |
| Female, n (%) | 37 (69) | 22 (54) | 59 (62) | 0.20 |
| Median delay from symptom onset to first LP, days (range) | 37 (1–2034) | 21 (0–376) | 32 (0–2034) | 0.07 |
| Clinical featuresb | ||||
| Subacute onset working memory deficits, n (%) | 51 (94) | 31 (76) | 82 (86) | 0.01* |
| Subacute onset of seizure, n (%) | 34 (63) | 16 (39) | 50 (53) | 0.03* |
| Subacute onset of psychiatric symptoms, n (%) | 40 (74) | 32 (78) | 71 (76) | 0.81 |
| MRI findings suggestive of AE, n (%)c | 15 (28) | 18 (46) | 33 (36) | 0.08 |
| EEG abnormalities suggestive of AE, n (%)d | 37 (79) | 31 (79) | 68 (79) | 0.94 |
| CSF Pleocytosis, n (%)e | 26 (48) | 27 (66) | 53 (56) | 0.10 |
| Patients admitted to ICU, n (%) | 21 (39) | 17 (42) | 38 (40) | 0.83 |
| Status epilepticus at presentation, n (%) | 9 (17) | 1 (2) | 10 (11) | 0.04* |
a
p-value of the difference between the UHN and WUSM sites using Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables and Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables.
*
p<0.05
b
Subacute-onset is defined as a “rapid progression of less than 3 months”, based on clinical criteria from Graus et al. 2016.
c
Temporal FLAIR signal changes highly restricted to the medial temporal lobes.
d
Epileptiform or slow-wave activity involving the temporal lobes.
e
>5cells/mm3.
AE: autoimmune encephalitis; ICU: intensive care unit; LP: lumbar puncture; UHN: University Health Network; WUSM: Washington University School of Medicine.