Encephalopathy - Types

Types

There are many types of encephalopathy. Some examples include:

• Mitochondrial encephalopathy—Metabolic disorder caused by dysfunction of mitochondrial DNA. Can affect many body systems, particularly the brain and nervous system.
• Glycine encephalopathy—A genetic metabolic disorder involving excess production of glycine
• Hepatic encephalopathy—Arising from advanced cirrhosis of the liver
• Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy—Permanent or transitory encephalopathy arising from severely reduced oxygen delivery to the brain
• Static encephalopathy—Unchanging, or permanent, brain damage
• Uremic encephalopathy—Arising from high levels of toxins normally cleared by the kidneys—rare where dialysis is readily available
• Wernicke's encephalopathy—Arising from thiamine deficiency, usually in the setting of alcoholism
• Hashimoto's encephalopathy—Arising from an auto-immune disorder
• Hypertensive encephalopathy—Arising from acutely increased blood pressure
• Chronic traumatic encephalopathy—Progressive degenerative disease associated with multiple concussions and other forms of head injury
• Lyme encephalopathy—Arising from Lyme disease bacteria, including Borrelia burgdorferi.
• Toxic encephalopathy—A form of encephalopathy caused by chemicals, often resulting in permanent brain damage
• Toxic-Metabolic encephalopathy—A catch-all for brain dysfunction caused by infection, organ failure, or intoxication
• Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy—A collection of diseases all caused by prions, and characterized by "spongy" brain tissue (riddled with holes), impaired locomotion or coordination, and a 100% mortality rate. Includes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), scrapie, and kuru among others.
• Neonatal encephalopathy—an obstetric form, often occurring due to lack of oxygen in bloodflow to brain-tissue of the fetus during labour or delivery
• Salmonella encephalopathy —A form of encephalopathy caused by food poisoning (especially out of peanuts and rotten meat) often resulting in permanent brain damage and nervous system disorders.
• Encephalomyopathy, a combination of encephalopathy and myopathy. Causes may include mitochondrial disease (particularly MELAS) or chronic hypophosphatemia, as may occur in cystinosis.