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.
Encephalomyelitis
Introduction
Encephalomyelitis is a general term for inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, describing a number of disorders:
- acute disseminated encephalomyelitis or postinfectious encephalomyelitis, a demyelinating disease of the brain and spinal cord, possibly triggered by vaccination or viral infection;
- encephalomyelitis disseminata, a synonym for multiple sclerosis;
- equine encephalomyelitis, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne viral disease that infects horses and humans;
- myalgic encephalomyelitis, a syndrome involving inflammation of the central nervous system with symptoms of muscle pain and fatigue; the term has sometimes been used interchangeably with chronic fatigue syndrome, though there is still controversy over the distinction.
- experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of brain inflammation.