Knowing where to look first
When patients present with a range of neurological symptoms, it can be difficult to identify what is causing them and select the best treatment. To complicate the evaluation, a given autoantibody can exhibit a variety of clinical appearances and a given neurological presentation can often be caused by several different autoantibodies. The complexity of the neurological system and the absence of a specific clinical presentation make it difficult to know where to look first. In most cases, early detection and prompt therapy can improve patient outcomes.1