Background: Autoimmune encephalitis is increasingly identified as a cause of nonviral, idiopathic encephalitis. Present treatment algorithms recommend costly immune-modulating treatments and do not identify a role for oral corticosteroids.
Objective: To present a patient with γ-aminobutyric acid(B) receptor-antibody encephalitis before and after treatment with oral corticosteroids.
Design: Case report.
Setting: The inpatient course as well as outpatient follow-up is discussed.
Patient: A 43-year-old man with initial presentation of seizures and altered mental status.
Intervention: Our patient was treated with an extended course of oral corticosteroids as an outpatient.
Results: After treatment with oral corticosteroids, our patient had steady clinical improvement, achieved seizure freedom, and experienced improved mental status to within normal limits.
Conclusions: This case supports the use of low-cost oral corticosteroids in treating patients with γ-aminobutyric acid(B) receptor-antibody encephalitis.