Andrea

On a warm, sunny June day, Andrea, age 30 entered the Emergency Department with vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and, more concerning, an episode in which she briefly didn’t recognize a family member.  She was treated for flu and dehydration and sent home.  Two days later, she again hallucinated and again entered emergency.  This time she was admitted to the hospital.   Doctors initially believed they were dealing with a severe case of overactive thyroid causing psychosis and treated her with anti-psychotic drugs.   Her condition worsened. Five days later, an MRI resulted in a diagnosis of encephalitis. The following day, an EEG showed that her confusion/psychotic episodes were actually seizures and Andrea was transferred to ICU.

In ICU doctors cast a wide net, searching for viral, bacterial and auto-immune causes of her illness.  She was empirically treated for NMDA encephalitis – an auto-immune illness – while awaiting test results.

Tragically on the 12th day in hospital Andrea passed away with no known reason for why she developed encephalitis.  

An autopsy was performed but no cause of death was determined.

The family, including her husband, 3 year old daughter, parents and older brother were left without answers for the cause of her sudden illness and death.

Were it not for her brother, Sean, becoming ill two months later, the reason for her death would never be known.