Anti-NMDA Autoimmune Encephalitis Post-COVID-19 Vaccination in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report

Abstract

Post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination encephalitis is rarely reported particularly in the pediatric population. Herein, we report the first case of postvaccination anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) encephalitis in close temporal association with receiving COVID-19 vaccine in a pediatric patient. The patient is a 13-year-old female who received the first dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and presented with subacute neurological and psychiatric symptoms and eventually confirmed the diagnosis of anti-NMDA autoimmune encephalitis. The patient recovered after receiving intravenous immunoglobulins and steroids.

Keywords

SARS-COV-2 - vaccination - autoimmune encephalitis - neurological complications - vaccine adverse effects

Institutional Review Board Statement

This study was performed according to the Declaration of Helsinki.

Informed Consent Statement

We obtained the patient's guardian written informed consent to participate in this study. Additionally, the guardian gave us permission for the publication of images and data included in this case report.

Data Availability Statement

The original contributions described in the case report are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

Authors’ Contributions

All authors have made substantial contribution to the manuscript.

Publication History

Received: 29 March 2023

Accepted: 15 November 2023

Accepted Manuscript online:
16 November 2023

Article published online:
28 December 2023

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