Steroid responsive encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroiditis presenting with late onset depression

Abstract

Steroid responsive encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroiditis (SREAT), (also known as Hashimoto’s encephalopathy) is a rare autoimmune encephalitis associated with high antithyroid antibodies, and presents with a relapsing-remitting or monophasic course, consisting of confusion, seizures, psychosis, dementia, or stroke-like episodes. In this report, a late onset depression was the initial presentation of SREAT in a middle aged patient, something rarely described before, indicating the need to suspect SREAT as a possible etiology for depression in this age group.