Encephalomyelitis is
inflammation
Inflammation (from la, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, and is a protective response involving immune cells, blood vessels, and molec ...
of the
brain
A brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as Visual perception, vision. I ...
and
spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the sp ...
. Various types of encephalomyelitis include:
* ''
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis'' or ''postinfectious encephalomyelitis'', a
demyelinating disease of the brain and spinal cord, possibly triggered by
viral infection.
* ''Encephalomyelitis disseminata'', a synonym for
multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This ...
.
* ''
AntiMOG associated encephalomyelitis'', one of the underlying conditions for the phenotype
neuromyelitis optica
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), including neuromyelitis optica (NMO), are autoimmune diseases characterized by acute inflammation of the optic nerve ( optic neuritis, ON) and the spinal cord ( myelitis). Episodes of ON and myeli ...
and in general all the spectrum of
MOG autoantibody-associated demyelinating diseases.
* ''
Eastern equine encephalitis'', ''
Japanese encephalitis'', ''
Venezuelan equine encephalitis'', and ''
Western equine encephalitis'': a group of viral illnesses that can affect
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
s and humans; collectively termed ''
Equine encephalitis''.
* ''
Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis'' (EAE), an animal model of brain inflammation.
*
Progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus (PERM) – A kind of
stiff person syndrome.
*
AIDS-related encephalomyelitis, caused by opportunistic
Human T-lymphotropic virus
The human T-lymphotropic virus, human T-cell lymphotropic virus, or human T-cell leukemia-lymphoma virus (HTLV) family of viruses are a group of human retroviruses that are known to cause a type of cancer called adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and ...
type III (HTLV-III) infection.
[S. M. de la Monte, MD, MPH, D. D. Ho, MD, R. T. Schooley, MD, M. S. Hirsch, MD and E. P. Richardson Jr., MD Subacute encephalomyelitis of AIDS and its relation to HTLV‐III infection Neurology April 1987 vol. 37 no. 4 562 ]
See also
*
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or ME/CFS, is a complex, debilitating, long-term medical condition. The causes and mechanisms of the disease are not fully understood. Distinguishing core symptoms are ...
, sometimes called ''myalgic encephalomyelitis''.
References
External links
{{Diseases of the nervous system
Inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system
Myelin disorders