Rasmussen syndrome

Rasmussen syndrome, also called Rasmussen encephalitis, is a rare progressive autoimmune neurological disease. It is marked by frequent and severe focal seizures, a steady neurological decline, hemiparesis or weakness on one side of the body, inflammation of the brain, and loss of tissue on one side of the cerebrum. It mostly affects children under fifteen, although adult cases have been reported. The Wikipedia lead gives two historical descriptions: Dr. A. Ya. Kozhevnikov described it as a form of chronic focal motor epilepsy in the 1880s, and in the 1950s Dr. Theodore Rasmussen separately identified focal seizures caused by chronic localized encephalitis. It is now classed as an encephalitis mediated by cytotoxic T cells. This entry records what the source states and is not medical advice.