Patient records
Name: Aisha Khan
Age: 34
Nationality: Pakistan (Karachi)
Diagnosis: Anti-NMDAR encephalitis (associated with ovarian teratoma)
Treatment Hospital: Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences – Neurology/Rheumatology/Obstetrics and Gynecology MDT Team
In the video Aisha sent, she was holding her newborn baby, her face beaming with a happy and peaceful smile. In the video, she said, "Thank you for helping me fight off that 'rare' demon that almost took everything from me." Rewinding to a year and a half ago, her world had been plunged into madness and chaos.
Aisha was a young university lecturer whose life was peaceful and fulfilling. But a sudden, strange illness completely disrupted her life. She first experienced severe headaches and fever, then began to talk incoherently, saying she saw things that weren't there. Her emotions became extremely unstable, and she even experienced epileptic seizures and involuntary, bizarre facial movements. In Pakistan, doctors initially thought it was a mental illness or a viral infection, but various treatments were ineffective. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she even developed abnormal breathing rhythms, requiring admission to the ICU where she was in critical condition.
In desperation, Aisha's husband found us through an international medical network. Upon receiving the case, our case manager immediately activated the "Rare Disease Rapid Diagnosis" channel, urgently sending her cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples to the Department of Neurology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, for testing. Peking Union Medical College Hospital is considered the "supreme court" for the diagnosis and treatment of rare and complex diseases in China, and its neuroimmunology team possesses world-class experience in the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune encephalitis. The test results confirmed anti-NMDAR encephalitis, a serious disease caused by abnormal antibodies attacking NMDA receptors in the brain. Further pelvic ultrasound revealed a mature teratoma lurking in her ovary—the very culprit that triggered this immune storm.
Prior to the consultation, we organized an emergency multidisciplinary team (MDT) consultation involving the neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, and rheumatology departments of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The experts developed a meticulous plan: first, first-line immunotherapy (high-dose steroid pulse therapy + gamma globulin) to rapidly control the immune storm in the brain; then, after the condition stabilized, minimally invasive gynecological surgery to remove the teratoma and eradicate the cause. Our medical consultant explained this complex treatment plan to the family in simple terms, giving them great confidence.
Treatment proceeded as planned. With the use of immunosuppressants, Aisha's mania and seizures gradually subsided, and her consciousness slowly returned. Two weeks later, her condition stabilized, and the gynecological team successfully performed a minimally invasive laparoscopic teratoma resection. Postoperative pathology confirmed that it was this tumor that triggered her immune system to attack her brain.
Post-diagnosis and follow-up were crucial; Aisha's road to recovery was long. We coordinated with the hospital to develop an individualized long-term immunosuppressive therapy plan and established a rigorous follow-up record. After returning to China, she regularly uploaded her medication records, blood routine tests, liver and kidney function tests, and tumor marker test results through our app. Our team would then compile this data and submit it to experts at Peking Union Medical College Hospital for evaluation, dynamically adjusting the immunosuppressant dosage and monitoring for tumor recurrence. A year later, Aisha not only fully recovered but also successfully conceived and gave birth to a healthy baby. She said that Chinese doctors gave her a second life and a complete family.