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Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis causes

Introduction

Overview

Overview

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.

Causes

Causes

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].

Infections[3]

Viral

Bacterial

Vaccinations[3]

References

References

  1. ↑ Rossor T, Benetou C, Wright S, Duignan S, Lascelles K, Robinson R; et al. (2020). “Early predictors of epilepsy and subsequent relapse in children with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis”. Mult Scler. 26 (3): 333–342. doi:10.1177/1352458518823486. PMID 30730236.
  2. ↑ Galetta KM, Bhattacharyya S (2019). “Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Neurology of the Central Nervous System”. Med Clin North Am. 103 (2): 325–336. doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2018.10.004. PMID 30704684.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Garg RK (2003). “Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis”. Postgrad Med J. 79 (927): 11–7. doi:10.1136/pmj.79.927.11. PMC 1742586. PMID 12566545.

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