Hashimoto encephalopathy - a case study

Abstract

The impact of thyroid hormones upon the proper function of central nervous system has been known for many years. The neurological symptoms and psychiatric disturbances may occur both in case of hypo- as well as hyperthyreosis. The encephalopathy Hashimoto (EH) described in this paper is a rare illness which occurs in case of patients suffering from the autoimmunological thyroid disease and increased level of antibodies in serum without any connections to the thyroid function. It is characterised by a variety of neurological symptoms and psychotic disturbances, acute state, high reoccurrence and good reaction to glicocorticosteroid treatment. Although we face encephalopathy Hashimoto extremely rarely in the clinical practice one should remember about it during the diagnostic process because when it is a long lasting untreated illness it may lead to the irreversible changes in the central nervous system. (Pol J Endocrinol 2008; 59 (2): 168-171)