Some patients who have been diagnosed with psychotic disorder , such as bipolar and even dementia praecox , may instead be suffering from a treatable autoimmune disease . The new studyhas search at patients with psychosis from across the UK and found that a handful may actually have a condition where antibodies attack the brain .
Taking blood samples from228 peoplewhen they were first diagnosed with psychotic illnesses , the research worker from the University of Oxford found evidence that around 3 per centum of cases need a particular antibody that was lash out a sensory receptor in brain cells that aid the cells communicate with each other , known as NMDA . This , the researcher suggest , mean that potentially 1 in 11 hoi polloi sectioned for psychotic malady could potentially be treated for the autoimmune disease rather .
The researchers suggest that those the great unwashed diagnosed with psychotic disorders should also have their blood screened for the antibody in question . If they turn up , then it could mean that care for these – in addition to the psychosis – could offer a new root , and drive substitute therapies .
“ The implications of this are that there are patient role in genial health services now who will have these antibody and could potentially be treated in a very unlike way , ” Professor Belinda Lennox , who co - authored the cogitation write inThe Lancet , toldthe BBC . “ I suppose this is a really exciting advance for psychiatry as a whole , and every head-shrinker and patient with psychosis indigence to be cognisant of this and to look for it and treat it assertively when we find it . ”
The findings described by Lennox and her squad arenot without controversy , however . Those with autoimmune disease that do attack the brain often present to the Dr. with a whole host of other symptom such as ictus or abnormal movements . This mean that patients who may have been undergoing treatment for psychotic disorderliness for months or years without display these behavior may only have low level of the antibody in interrogative sentence , casting dubiousness on the suggestion that there are people who have been section when all they have is the autoimmune look .
Clinical trial are now afoot to expand the sample size , and quiz whether or not some patients could benefit from new treatments that harness the immune system instead .
