Community | February 09, 2013 | 40 comments

Mystery Brain Disease Strikes Women in US

source: http://www.newser.com/story/162541/mystery-brain-disease-strikes-women-in-us.html

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coolplanet

http://www.newser.com/story/162541/mystery-brain-disease-strikes-wome...

Doctors have been wrestling with a newly discovered illness that attacks mainly young women and looks a lot like psychosis. In Philadelphia, hospitalized women appeared possessed, crying or laughing hysterically one moment and turning catatonic the next. One had seizures and left her arms stuck out in front of her. Finally doctors realized they weren't crazy—they were suffering from an auto immune disease known as Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis, reports CBS Philadelphia.

Discovered six years ago, the illness strikes the brain with antibodies and causes it to swell—as one doctor explained to two nervous parents: "He told them her brain is on fire," says a woman who was hospitalized for weeks. "He used those words: 'Her brain is on fire.'" A spinal fluid test can spot the disease and immunotherapy can treat it, but there is no cure; all patients face possible relapses. Now a former patient is trying to get the word out, explaining that "there could be people in comas right now or people stuck in psych wards that have this disease and aren’t being treated properly."

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff
Posted Feb 9, 2013 1:49 PM CST
  1. groups:
    Community,   WTF,   Current Tonight
  2. tags:
    Depressing,  mystery disease,  Encephalitis,  Brain on Fire
  3.     
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40 comments // Mystery Brain Disease Strikes Women in US

  • mitekillem
  • MAssappeal
  • matka
  • Tayllerand
    • +1
      Tayllerand  

    • Probably the vaccines are the culprit in this case.

      The End.
      P.S. ( Prepare for comet ison is coming on November 28th of this year ..MMEEOOOOOWWWW)

    • 3 months ago
  • ninja_tiger
  • MSII
    • +2
      MSII  

    • Can't help but think this has something to do with how we've mis-used anti-biotics, and then there are the chemicals we're exposed to daily...

    • 3 months ago
  • matka
    • +1
      matka  

    • Always that 'tip of iceberg' analogy. Der are others.....tax brain to 'tink.
      (not real taxes, lol).
      Yeah, and why only 'young women.' ?
      Dis wrong....could be males as well; DNA should be studied more intensively.

    • 3 months ago
  • onemale
  • matka
  • onemale
  • matka
  • onemale
    • 0
      onemale  

    • I have long suspected that as we come up with cures for disease then nature will evolve, as nature does, and produce new disease to cull our numbers. As with anything the planet must run with checks and balances. As the population becomes to large to be supported by existing resources then nature must increase the mortality rate to reduce those numbers. Disease and infection is that tool. Always has been. You will find a direct correlation between the invention or discovery of penicillin and the sharp rise in population. Of course. Do you not think that did not and does not put a strain on natural resources?
      The earth is a living breathing thing people.
      Nature is her caretaker. We have now become a cancer and a threat and nature will do all she can to prevent us from killing her life source. Which is this planet.
      There is no God to protect you from the wrath of nature. None.

    • 3 months ago
  • matka
  • coolplanet
  • onemale
  • onemale
  • coolplanet
  • matka
  • onemale
  • onemale
    • -1
      onemale  
    • coolplanet:

      Are you seriously going to tell me that the excesses of man has not affected the balence of nature?
      And that we are not paying for it now?
      And please do not respond immaturely like your friend matka or this will be the end of the discussion.
      And up to this point it has been a civil discussion. Even though i said you were wrong i did not mean it with any discourse.
      I will however refrain from talking to that person.

    • 3 months ago
  • matka
  • matka
  • EmperorThan
  • FreeSpiritMuse
    • +5
      FreeSpiritMuse  
    • EmperorThan:

      +1coolplanet
      I suspect that this is the mysterious form of encephalitis that killed my 28 yo friend Stephanie in 2008. She appeared possessed, crying or laughing hysterically one moment and turning catatonic the next, when they rushed her to the hospital. In a coma for 3 months she died of seizures. The best hospital in Pittsburgh had no idea what was the cause but suspected a spider bite.

    • 3 months ago
  • EmperorThan
  • MSII
    • +2
      MSII  
    • EmperorThan:

      The idea that people actually seemed to take you seriously... very sad. It was a interesting article about the insanity of "approved" "science" back then (not so long ago!).

    • 3 months ago
  • MolliBlum
    • +3
      MolliBlum  

    • This is extremely disturbing.

      I couldn’t help wondering what could possibly be a trigger that is relatively new, targets the immune system, and affects mainly (young) women…. And it didn’t take long to find these:

      http://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfield.php?IDNUMBER=372659

      http://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfield.php?IDNUMBER=397460&WAYBACKHISTOR...

      Not suggesting that might be the only thing.
      Evidently, the medical community is also looking at vaccines (generally) in this connection.

      Here’s a report from Germany (Heidelberg Uni):

      “Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is a recently described autoimmune disorder… The high incidence of prodromal viral-like symptoms suggests a possible infection triggering the autoimmune response… We report about a 15-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis after receiving a booster vaccination against tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis and polio (TdaP-IPV). … The onset of prodromal symptoms shortly after the immunization is intriguing and suggests the vaccination as a possible trigger of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. …

      Therefore... vaccines should be considered as a possible trigger of immune response in this recently described disorder.”

      http://www.springermedizin.de/anti-nmda-receptor-encephalitis-after-tdapipv-boos...

      And here’s one from Japan:

      “The study included a total of 61 patients aged 15 to 61 years. … Group A had typical clinical characteristics of anti-NMDAR encephalitis, beginning with psychiatric symptoms, followed by subsequently occurring seizures and disturbances of consciousness… Five narcolepsy with severe psychosis cases were examined and also included (group B), because autoantibody-mediated mechanisms...are suspected in some secondary narcolepsy cases. In addition, several research groups recently reported that a swine flu (H1N1) vaccination increased the incidence of hypocretin-deficient narcolepsy …”

      http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/12/37#B12

    • 3 months ago
  • coolplanet
    • +1
      coolplanet  
    • MolliBlum:

      Thanks for the additional info.
      In the case of my friend Stephanie several other factors might be involved
      She was an avid gardener and worked with lots of cow and horse manure and pesticides.
      Her house had a serious black mold problem which is known to weaken the immune system.
      She had developed a bad sensitivity to chemicals that she used in her job as a house cleaner, switching to natural cleaners like vinegar, baking soda and oil soap.
      Last but not least, her boyfriend had given her a white rabbit for her birthday which turned out to be pregnant and into dozens of bunnies. She took the sick ones into her house all winter, when she developed a sinus infection that she couldn't shake. I always suspected Rabbit Fever which can cause many of the symptoms she developed, and reported this to her doctors and the head of the Health Department.

    • 3 months ago
  • coolplanet
  • artemis6
  • coolplanet
  • artemis6
    • +4
      artemis6  
    • coolplanet:

      Why only women ? This is bad science , there is no proof that only females get this , perhaps children and males are affected differently .... I suspect it is insect borne and evolution always tries to keep balance . There is some evidence that bio-film organisms shield communities of viruses parasites and bacteria from the immune system and From our clever drugs , so these communities can work together to support each other . I think that is what a lot of illness we are seeing lately . Look up FL1935 , otherwise know as Protomyxoa rhemathica .

    • 3 months ago
  • coolplanet
    • 0
      coolplanet  
    • artemis6:

      It's "mainly young women" so far. The video below mentions a condition of the ovaries found in some patients. Since this new disease first appeared only six years ago and still remains a mystery I'm sure we'll hear of more cases in the future.

    • 3 months ago
  • coolplanet
    • +4
      coolplanet  

    • I suspect that this is the mysterious form of encephalitis that killed my 28 yo friend Stephanie in 2008. She appeared possessed, crying or laughing hysterically one moment and turning catatonic the next, when they rushed her to the hospital. In a coma for 3 months she died of seizures. The best hospital in Pittsburgh had no idea what was the cause but suspected a spider bite.

    • 3 months ago
  • Plue
  • MolliBlum
  • Leen61
    • +5
      Leen61  
    • coolplanet:

      I'm so sorry to hear this, coolplanet. Thanks for posting this. I've never heard of it. There are so many new diseases out there spawned by our sick environment, I think we are only seeing the tip of the ice berg.

    • 3 months ago
  • coolplanet
    • +2
      coolplanet  
    • Leen61:

      I'm still not over Stephanie's mysterious death. She was so strong and full of life! I considered her my best friend and we were starting a rare tree nursery together, growing sequoias and other endangered species.

    • 3 months ago
  • coolplanet
    • +3
      coolplanet  
    • Plue:

      Thanks Plue.
      I'm considering sharing this article with her mother but hesitate because it's been 5 years and I worry it will bring back some really horrible memories.

    • 3 months ago
  • Leen61
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