Hashimoto 's encephalopathy is a very rare neurological disease, which can occur in the presence of a morbid condition affecting the thyroid, known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis .
Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease : in fact, it is an anomaly of the immune system, which produces anti-thyroid antibodies that attack and reduce thyroid function ( hypothyroidism ).
Located in the front of the neck, the thyroid is the butterfly-shaped organ responsible for producing the hormones T3 (triiodothyronine), T4 (thyroxine) and calcitonin.
Hashimoto encephalopathy belongs to the category of temporary encephalopathies ; these, if they are treated promptly and in the most appropriate manner, can regress considerably.
According to several studies and based on the results obtained so far, the most indicated treatment consists in the administration of high doses of corticosteroids, or powerful anti-inflammatory drugs belonging to the class of steroids.
The corticosteroid most commonly given to those suffering from Hashimoto's encephalopathy is prednisolone ; this generally works in a few days / weeks and the results are more than satisfactory.
However, attention must be paid to prolonged hiring and abuse : like any corticosteroid, in fact, it could lead to the onset of various side effects including cataracts, increased body weight, hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes etc.
ALTERNATIVE
If the treatment based on corticosteroids fails, doctors use an alternative treatment method consisting of a combination of different drugs, intravenous immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis (NB: it is the separation, by centrifugation, of the blood plasma from the corpuscular elements blood).
Regarding the drug combination, the drugs usually used are chloroquine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide and azathioprine .
These are drugs with chemotherapeutic properties (chloroquine and cyclophosphamide), anti-inflammatory (methotrexate) and immunosuppressive (methotrexate and azathioprine).
