HESA (Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy SREAT Alliance), the Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis Foundation, Inc. (Canada), Encephalitis Global, and the Antibody-Negative Autoimmune Encephalitis Facebook group are proud to announce that together they are sponsoring a groundbreaking symposium to be held on April 6, 2019 at Weill Cornell Medical School, Cornell University, in New York, NY,  titled: “Autoimmune Encephalitis: The Bridge Between Neurology and Psychiatry.” 

Autoimmune Encephalitis (and ensuing encephalopathy) can take many forms.  One of those forms is Hashimoto’s Encephalitis/Encephalopathy.  The April 2019 symposium will bring together experts from around the world who are familiar with the troubling fact that autoimmune encephalitis is often misdiagnosed as psychiatric illness due to its presenting symptoms.  Speakers will include Dr. Josep Dalmau, whose team is credited with discovering Anti NMDA Receptor Encephalitis in 2006, and who remains one of the top experts on this subject. The goal of the symposium is to facilitate and enhance the dialogue between the disciplines of neurology and psychiatry, thereby increasing physician recognition of the need to test for AE when a patient presents with abrupt changes in mental status that may include severe depression, anxiety, and even psychosis. Watch this space for more details about this exciting symposium.

 

WHO ARE WE?

The Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy SREAT Alliance (“HESA”)  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2012 to collect, archive, and share information about Hashimoto’s Encephalitis/Encephalopathy (“HE”), also known as Steroid Responsive Encephalopathy Associated with Thyroiditis (“SREAT”) with the public and medical professionals.  HE is one of the sero-negative forms of Autoimmune Encephalitis/Encephalopathy (“AE”), meaning that the specific autoantibody that wreaks havoc on the brains of these AE patients has not yet been identified in the laboratory.  At least 17 autoantibodies that can cause AE have been identified since 2006.

HESA coordinates with other nonprofit organizations around the world, including E-Global, the Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance,the Anti NMDA Receptor Encephalitis Foundation (Canada) and the Encephalitis Society (UK), to share scientific information, administer and contribute to online support communities for patients and their loved ones, provide speakers for relevant conferences and seminars, and generate funding for research. We appreciate your tax-deductible donations which further this vital work. As noted above, on April 6, 2019, HESA will be co-sponsoring a Symposium to be held at Weill Cornell Medical School in NY, NY. The Symposium will focus on the problem of misdiagnosis that plagues AE patients because psychiatric symptoms that are a hallmark of the disease.

PLEASE NOTE:

This website is not a substitute for professional advice, and the content here is not intended for use in diagnosing, curing, or preventing disease. The site does not employ and is not overseen by medical professionals. Articles and studies listed here are intended solely for personal use and reference.  

Although you will find a great deal of information about HE/SREAT on this website, HESA cannot provide medical advice. If you have HE/SREAT, or think you may have it, consult a qualified neurologist, preferably one with experience addressing immune-mediated illness. 

HESA cannot respond to individual inquiries via this website, but instead encourages those interested in learning more to visit the HESA Facebook communities. There, questions can be posed to other community members, and individual messages can be sent to HESA administrators via “FB Messenger.”  (See the Resources tab above for links to the HESA Facebook communities.)

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