Abstract
Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system in children are composed of a heterogeneous
group of rare disorders that can affect the central or peripheral nervous system at
any level. Presentations may occur in children of any age and are typically acute
or subacute in onset. Consideration of an autoimmune process as the etiology of neurologic
diseases in children is important, as it may lead to early initiation of immunotherapy
and an improvement in long-term neurologic outcomes. The developing nervous and immune
systems in children create unique challenges in diagnosis and treatment of these rare
diseases. In this review, autoimmune diseases affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerve
roots, peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junction, and muscle in children are described.
Keywords
pediatric autoimmune neurology - autoimmune encephalitis - NMDA receptor encephalitis
- pediatric neuromyelitis optica - acute disseminated encephalomyelitis
