Neurocognitive function in systemic autoimmune and rheumatic diseases

Abstract

An autoimmune disease is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks itself. The dysregulation of the immune system associated with systemic autoimmune diseases can affect various organs systems, including the brain. This chapter will review the neuropsychological involvement and the resulting cognitive changes associated with three systemic autoimmune or rheumatic diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Diagnosis, neuropsychological assessment, and treatment planning are challenging since most of the disease manifestations are nonspecific. Due to the abundant literature on cognitive dysfunction in SLE as compared to the other two diseases, the discussion of cognition is focused mainly in SLE. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.