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. •
Acute necrotizing encephalopathy, rare disease that occurs following a viral infection. •
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, usually caused by
prenatal exposure to ethanol. •
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 (B1) deficiency, usually in the setting of
alcoholism. •
Hashimoto's encephalopathy: Arising from an auto-immune disorder. •
Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis: An auto-immune encephalitis. •
Hyperammonemia: A condition caused by high levels of
ammonia, which is due to inborn errors of metabolism (including
urea cycle disorder or
multiple carboxylase deficiency), a diet with excessive levels of
protein, deficiencies of specific nutrients such as
arginine or
biotin, or organ failure. •
Hypertensive encephalopathy: Arising from acutely increased blood pressure. •
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: A progressive degenerative disease associated with repeated head trauma, often linked to
contact sports. •
Lyme encephalopathy: Arising from Lyme disease bacteria, including
Borrelia burgdorferi. •
Toxic encephalopathy: A form of encephalopathy caused by chemicals and prescription drugs, 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 (hypoxic-ischemic 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. •
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD; transmissible spongiform encephalopathy). •
Aicardi–Goutières syndrome, a hereditary disease caused by
mutations in the
TREX1, RNASEH2B, RNASEH2C, RNASEH2A, ADAR1, SAMHD1, IFIH1, LSM11, or
RNU7-1 gene. •
Infectious disease-associated encephalopathy (an umbrella term for encephalopathy related to infectious disease, not necessarily directly infecting the central nervous system) •
HIV encephalopathy (encephalopathy associated with HIV infection and AIDS, characterized by atrophy and ill-defined white matter hyperintensity). •
Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (this type can occur in the setting of apparent sepsis, trauma, severe burns, or trauma, even without clear identification of an infection). •
Epileptic encephalopathies: • Early infantile epileptic encephalopathy (acquired or congenital abnormal cortical development). • Early
myoclonic epileptic encephalopathy (possibly due to metabolic disorders). •
Gluten encephalopathy: Focal abnormalities of the white matter (generally area of low perfusion) are appreciated through magnetic resonance. Migraine is the most common symptom reported. •
BRAT1 Encephalopathy: An ultra-rare autosomal recessive neonatal encephalopathy.
Toxicity from chemotherapy Chemotherapy medication, for example,
fludarabine can cause a permanent severe global encephalopathy. ==Signs and symptoms==