Link between HLA alleles and anti-NMDAR encephalitis

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is one of the major types of antibody-mediated autoimmune encephalitis. It was originally reported to be highly prevalent in young women with ovarian teratoma, but later studies found that the cases were not limited to young women with tumours; it was observed in both genders of any age, irrespective of tumour positivity.1 Clinical manifestations include neuropsychiatric syndrome with movement disorders, seizures and autonomic dysfunction. Recently, several studies have reported human leucocyte antigen (HLA) associations with antibody-mediated encephalitis, including anti-NMDAR encephalitis and anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated1 (LGI1) encephalitis. While HLA-DRB1*07:01 or its extended …