Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis causes

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sujaya Chattopadhyay, M.D.[2]

In the past, ADEM was a sequelae of common childhood infections like measles, smallpox and chickenpox. With the improvements in infectious disease management practices, ADEM in developed countries frequently follow non-specific upper respiratory tract infections. Failure to identify a definite cause could suggest that the inciting agents are unusual and not recovered by standard laboratory tests. ADEM is much more common in the developing countries where measles and other viral infections still account for a major proportion of cases.

Another common variant is the postimmunisation encephalomyelitis, which has a preference for the peripheral nervous system. Currently, the most common implicated vaccines are measles, mumps and rubella. The risk of the condition developing after measles vaccination is considerably lower than the natural infection.

ADEM is currently seen most commonly after a bout of viral infection of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. However, in the majority of cases, the aetiology remains unknown ^[1], ^[2].

• Cytomegalovirus
• Epstein-Barr virus
• Herpes simplex
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Varicella
• Influenza
• HepatitisA, B
• HIV

• Mycoplasma
• Leptospira
• Beta-hemolytic streptococci
• Borrelia
• Chlamydia
• Legionella
• Campylobacter

• Rabies (the earliest vaccine associated with ADEM)
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Varicella
• Smallpox
• DPT
• Polio
• Hepatitis B
• Influenza
• Japanese B encephalitis