SYMPTOMS
HE Presents with a wide variety of symptoms. Moreover, like most people with autoimmune diseases, HE patients tend to have multiple distinct autoimmune conditions, which make it difficult to determine whether HE is the direct source of some of the less commonly reported symptoms.
Symptoms
Based on published case studies:
​
-
Cognitive impairment (including concentration and memory problems)
-
Emotional, behavioral and personality changes
-
Speech difficulties (including aphasia or dysphasia)
-
Tremor
-
Involuntary jerking movements or myoclonus
-
Dizziness, vertigo, and impaired coordination and balance (ataxia)
-
Headaches/migraines
-
Malaise, weakness, and fatigue
-
Fluctuating consciousness
-
Disorientation, confusion or dementia
-
Seizures or seizure-like events
-
Stroke-like events
-
Partial paralysis
-
Sleep abnormalities including both insomnia and excessive sleepiness
-
Sensory or motor difficulties, often on one side
-
Status epilepticus
-
Psychosis (including hallucinations, delusions or paranoia)
-
Coma
​
Based on HESA's online patient survey in 2015
(over 100 confirmed diagnosed patients in our online community)
-
Pain
Joint/muscle pain
Muscle twitches/ cramps/spasms
-
Neurological
Severe Fatigue
Tire out of proportion to acitivity
Numbness/ tingling
-
Cognitive
Reduced ability to multitask
Difficulty following through/ finishing tasks
Short attention span/ limited concentration
-
Sensory
Overly sensitive to sound
Over-stimulated by auditory/visual input
-
Social-Emotional
Dislike crowds/ groups
Increased anxiety/ fearfulness
-
Language/ Communication
Word finding problems
Loss of train of thought
Difficulty participating in conversations