Paraneoplastic Acute Diffuse Encephalitis Revealing Hodgkin's Disease

Abstract

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes are associated with various cancers. Cerebellar and limbic paraneoplastic manifestations are known to be associated with Hodgkin's disease (HD), but reports of diffuse encephalitis associated with HD are very rare. We report a case of acute severe diffuse encephalitis revealing a HD. Clinical presentation, cerebro-spinal fluid modifications and magnetic resonance imagery data are described. The treatment associated specific chemotherapy and plasma exchange. The neurological status improved dramatically within the first days of treatment, with parallel neoplasm regression. This case stresses the fact that encephalopathy can be the first sign of an undiagnosed extra-cerebral neoplasm.

• Encephalitis
• Hodgkin's disease
• Paraneoplastic syndrome