Cerebral arteritis
Related Subjects:
|Vascular Dementia
🧠 Aetiology
- Cerebral Arteritis: An autoimmune condition causing inflammation of cerebral arteries, often linked with systemic autoimmune diseases.
- Common Underlying Causes:
- 🦋 Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): Chronic autoimmune disease affecting joints, skin, kidneys, and brain.
- 🌿 Sarcoidosis: Multisystem inflammatory disorder, especially lungs and lymph nodes.
- ⚡ Behçet's Disease: Rare disorder with widespread blood vessel inflammation and multi-organ involvement.
🩺 Clinical Features
- 🌀 Delirium-Like Presentation: Confusion, agitation, altered mental status resembling delirium.
- 🔥 Systemic Vasculitis Signs: Fever, skin lesions, and other organ involvement suggesting widespread vascular inflammation.
🔬 Investigations
- 🧠 MRI/Angiography: Detects vessel inflammation, narrowing, and distribution of arterial disease.
- 💉 Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF): May show raised WCC indicating CNS inflammation.
- 🧪 Serology: Positive ANA and dsDNA → supports autoimmune aetiology such as SLE.
💊 Management
- 🚨 Urgent Neurology Referral: Essential for rapid diagnosis and treatment initiation.
- 💉 Immunosuppressive Therapy:
- Steroids (e.g., prednisone) to suppress inflammation.
- Other agents: methotrexate, azathioprine depending on cause and severity.
- ⚖️ Tailored Treatment:
- Depends on underlying disease (e.g., SLE, Behçet’s).
- Requires close monitoring + adjustment to prevent relapses.
📈 Prognosis
- Depends on severity of vessel inflammation + treatment response.
- Early diagnosis and immunosuppressive therapy reduce risk of irreversible neurological damage.
📚 References
- Dasgupta, B., & Amarasingham, R. (2020). Cerebral Arteritis: Clinical Features and Management. Journal of Neurology, 267(7), 2021-2030.
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2023). Cerebral Vasculitis Information Page. Retrieved from NINDS Cerebral Vasculitis Information
- Friedman, A. (2018). Vasculitis of the Central Nervous System. Current Opinion in Rheumatology, 30(2), 116-121.
- Gabay, C., & Kushner, I. (2017). Acute and Chronic Inflammation. New England Journal of Medicine, 357(19), 2005-2014.
