Saturday, June 06, 2009

CAA with inflammation clinical characteristics

Kinnecom C et al. Course of cerebral amyloid angiopathy related inflammation. Neurology 2007; 68: 1411-1416.

CAA, amyloid angiopathy, dementia, seizures, HA, T2 hyperintensities, MRI lesions with edema, neuropath with consistent with inflammation, response to decadron, monophasic, or relapsing course.

Lesions were primarily white matter and could be unilateral. 7/12 had monophasic improvement with treatment, 3/12 relapsed, 2/12 were not responsive. Apo E4/E4 was present in 10/12 of CAA with inflammation v. 5.1 % of symptomatic CAA without inflammation.

The suspicion is that this represents inflammation against amyloid deposits and that it strikingly resembles the encephalitis seen in those given Alzheimer's amyloid vaccines.