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The immune system is actually supposed to protect the body. But in a newly discovered form of the disease, it attacks the cerebellum. Health deteriorates rapidly.
Hanover – How can an 18-year-old who is actually fit suddenly no longer walk safely, have great difficulty articulating himself properly and seeing clearly? The young man’s sudden decline in health also posed a mystery to medicine. At first, doctors suspected a simple viral or bacterial infection. Medicine now also assumes a connection between the corona virus and brain damage.
During the investigation, a team of experts from Germany discovered instead a previously unknown autoimmune disease in which the cerebellum is attacked and rapidly progressively deteriorates.
Young man can’t walk and sees double – researchers discover new autoimmune disease
Because the doctors could not detect any bacteria or viruses in the patient, they ordered further tests. A blood test finally revealed that the 18-year-old was suffering from a form of cerebellar ataxia, as the team of specialists at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) in a report writes. This is a neurological disorder in the cerebellum that is caused by certain autoantibodies. It is considered an autoimmune disease.
What is an autoimmune disease?
Due to a malfunction, the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy structures in the body instead of harmful cells and substances. The antibodies cannot distinguish between the body’s own and foreign substances, which can lead to inflammation or a degenerative effect. Chronic diseases are the result. The most common forms of the disease include the chronic intestinal disease Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis or type 1 diabetes. Autoimmune diseases accompany those affected throughout their lives.
Source: MSD Manual
The result: severe inflammation in the part of the brain that is responsible for the human musculoskeletal system. “This important area in the back of the brain acts as a conductor, so to speak, to coordinate our movements and keep us in balance,” explains the MHH on its homepage.
Autoimmune disease attacks cerebellum – and worsens rapidly
In addition to the 18-year-old, the medical team led by Professor Dr. Kurt-Wolfram Sühs recorded the clinical picture in three other patients. Unlike the previously known forms of cerebellar ataxia, the newly discovered form progresses extremely quickly. Within two weeks, about one patient showed severe symptoms.
In addition to the motor and sensory problems, severe visual symptoms were added, and the patient suddenly saw double images. In addition, MRI scans showed that the patient’s cerebellum had lost a lot of substance. The team published the research results in the Trade magazine Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
New disease so far only detected in younger people – The search for the trigger
The cause of this particular form of autoimmune disease is still unclear. The research team at MHH suspects that tumors and strokes can trigger it, and that it could also be related to individual genetics. The latter explains why the disease has so far been diagnosed primarily in younger people – the risk of a stroke in particular increases with age.
According to the MHH, none of the four people examined are older than 34. There were no indications of previous illnesses. “The people affected were independent and healthy before the onset of the disease,” stresses research director Sühs in the report. Accordingly, there is still no specific form of therapy for the disease. However, treatment with an anti-inflammatory drug has sustainably improved the condition of the four patients, according to the neurologist. The drug is the active ingredient rituximab, which has been proven to be effective in immune diseases.
Autoimmune diseases: predominantly in women and incurable but treatable
In general, medicine has so far found it difficult to treat autoimmune diseases and they are not curable at all. Recent studies suggest that corona disease could exacerbate certain autoimmune diseases. It has also been a mystery why autoimmune diseases predominantly affect female patients.
A special blood wash can only suppress such a malfunction of the body’s own immune system, and this is “relatively untargeted,” as neurologist Sühs explains. “However, the early detection of autoantibodies can be crucial for the diagnosis of this rapidly progressing cerebellitis and for immediate treatment,” emphasizes the expert. (rku)