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Nodding syndrome in Tanzania may not be associated with circulating anti-NMDA-and anti-VGKC receptor antibodies or decreased pyridoxal phosphate serum levels-a pilot study
- Source :
- African Health Sciences; Vol 14, No 2 (2014); 434-438
- Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Background: Nodding syndrome (NS) is a seemingly progressive epilepsy disorder of unknown underlying cause. We investigated association of pyridoxal-phosphate serum levels and occurrence of anti-neuronal antibodies against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and voltage gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex in NS patients.Methods: Sera of a Tanzanian cohort of epilepsy and NS patients and community controls were tested for the presence of anti-NMDA-receptor and anti-VGKC complex antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Furthermore pyridoxal-phosphate levels were measured.Results: Auto-antibodies against NMDA receptor or VGKC (LG1 or Caspr2) complex were not detected in sera of patients suffering from NS (n=6), NS plus other seizure types (n=16), primary generalized epilepsy (n=1) and community controls without epilepsy (n=7). Median Pyridoxal-phosphate levels in patients with NS compared to patients with primary generalized seizures and community controls were not significantly different. However, these median pyridoxal-phosphate levels are significantly lower compared to the range considered normal in Europeans.Conclusions: In this pilot study NS was not associated with serum anti-NMDA receptor or anti-VGKC complex antibodies and no association to pyridoxal-phosphate serum levels was found.Key words: nodding syndrome, epilepsy, anti-neuronal antibodies, pyridoxal-phosphate
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
N-Methylaspartate
Adolescent
Pilot Projects
nodding syndrome, epilepsy, anti-neuronal antibodies, pyridoxal-phosphate
Tanzania
Nodding Syndrome
Epilepsy
Seizures
Internal medicine
medicine
Humans
Generalized epilepsy
Receptor
Aged
Autoantibodies
Neurons
biology
Seizure types
business.industry
Autoantibody
General Medicine
Articles
Middle Aged
medicine.disease
Endocrinology
Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated
Case-Control Studies
Pyridoxal Phosphate
biology.protein
NMDA receptor
Female
Antibody
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 17290503 and 16806905
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- African health sciences
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b5f4d13f200ff1b25b1d49b5ac29ad0c