Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases Masquerading as Psychiatric Disorders: A Case Series

Background: Neurological involvement has been found in many autoimmune diseases, with psychiatric abnormalities such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, and cognitive dysfunction. Patients and Methods: Here, we describe a series of 5 consecutive cases of autoimmune diseases presenting with psychiatri...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jayaprakash Russell Ravan, Sucheta Chatterjee, Pratima Singh, Debashis Maikap, Prasanta Padhan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PCO Convin S.A. 2021-01-01
Series:Mediterranean Journal of Rheumatology
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Online Access:http://www.mjrheum.org/assets/files/792/file312_1329.pdf
Description
Summary:Background: Neurological involvement has been found in many autoimmune diseases, with psychiatric abnormalities such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, and cognitive dysfunction. Patients and Methods: Here, we describe a series of 5 consecutive cases of autoimmune diseases presenting with psychiatric symptoms as the predominant manifestation. Result: Our case series suggests that psychiatric symptoms, mainly depression, can be one of the presenting symptoms of several autoimmune diseases that often cause a significant delay in diagnosis. Conclusion: Any patient, particularly females, with a newly detected psychiatric disorder that responds poorly to medical management should be properly examined for underlying primary systemic autoimmune diseases.
ISSN:2529-198X