The short‐term efficacy of combined treatments targeting B cell and plasma cell in severe and refractory Anti‐N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor encephalitis: Two case reports

Dear Editor, Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis, which is the most common type of autoimmune encephalitis, usually manifests as a clinical spectrum including psychiatric symptoms, cognitive disorders, epilepsy, and decreased levels of consciousness, autonomic dysfunction with or without teratoma. When prednisone was reduced to 10 mg, she relapsed with a rapidly progressive personality disorder, emotional lability, hallucinations, irritability, seizure, and cognitive impairment and visited our hospital. Preliminary data suggested that the protracted clinical course of anti-NMDAR encephalitis is due to antibody production by long-lived plasma cells.