Progressive Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Caused by an Autoimmune Response to Intravesical Bacille-Calmette-Guérin Treatment

Frontiers in Neurology
Anouck BeckerKlaus Faßbender

Abstract

Systemic BCGitis and autoimmune diseases are possible adverse events of intravesical Bacille Calmette-Guérin-(BCG)-instillations in the treatment of urothelioma cancer. We present the case of an 83-years-old male patient with rapid progressive symptoms of dementia up to mutism as well as tonic seizures. Immune-mediated cerebral small vessel disease was diagnosed and retraced to former instillations of BCG. Intense immunosuppressive treatment was performed and clinical restoration was achieved within several months. While cerebral vasculitis due to BCGitis has already been described before, this is to our knowledge the first case report to illustrate an immune-mediated small vessel disease after BCG-instillations. This should be considered in patients with rapidly progressive dementia-like symptoms treated with BCG, as an immunosuppressive treatment can be highly effective even at severe clinical stages.

Methods Mentioned

BETA
biopsy

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases occur as a result of an attack by the immune system on the body’s own tissues resulting in damage and dysfunction. There are different types of autoimmune diseases, in which there is a complex and unknown interaction between genetics and the environment. Discover the latest research on autoimmune diseases here.

Related Papers

Jornal brasileiro de pneumologia : publicaça̋o oficial da Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisilogia
Maria João OliveiraR Duarte
Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift
F Husain-Syed, H-G Velcovsky
Revista portuguesa de pneumologia
I LadeiraR Duarte
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved