Myelitis

Inflammation or infection of the nerves of the spinal cord.

An inflammation of bone marrow.

Myelitis is the label describing a category of diseases marked by inflammation of the spinal cord. Adams and Victor (1993) summarized the adjectives commonly used to describe the course of myelitis. Acute refers to the development of symptoms within a few days, whereas subacute indicates that the clinical signs onset over a period of two to six weeks. Furthermore, poliomyelitis describes gray matter inflammation, whereas leukomyelitis is reserved for those cases presenting with only white matter complications.

Inflammation of the spinal cord. Myelitis is often the result of a viral disease, such as polio, measles, or herpes. Transverse myelitis is a type of myelitis in which there is demyelination (loss of the fatty tissue around the nerves) of the spinal cord. It may be caused by viral infection, spinal cord injury, an immune reaction, insufficient blood flow through the blood vessels in the spinal cord, or as a complication of diseases (for example, multiple sclerosis, smallpox, or chickenpox). Symptoms may include low back pain, spinal cord dysfunction, muscle spasms, discomfort, headache, loss of appetite, and numbness or tingling in the legs. Although there is no specific treatment for transverse myelitis, recovery usually begins within 2 to 12 weeks after its onset and may continue for up to 2 years. However, most people are left with considerable disability. Depending on the cause, the disabilities include motor, sensory, and sphincter (bowel) deficits.

An inflammatory disease of the spinal cord. The most usual kind (transverse myelitis) most often occurs during the development of multiple sclerosis, but it is sometimes a manifestation of encephalomyelitis, when it can occur as an isolated attack. The inflammation spreads more or less completely across the tissue of the spinal cord, resulting in a loss of its normal function to transmit nerve impulses up and down. It is as though the spinal cord had been severed: paralysis and numbness affects the legs and trunk below the level of the diseased tissue.

Compression due to pressure on the spinal cord, often caused by a tumor.

Inflammation of the spinal cord, resulting from either an infection (e.g., a viral or bacterial infection) or a noninfectious necrosing or demyelinating lesion of the cord. Patients often exhibit flaccid limb paralysis, incontinence, weakness or numbness of the limbs, and other symptoms.

Spinal cord inflammation, frequently triggered by a viral infection, is referred to as myelitis. In cases of transverse myelitis, the inflammation affects the spinal cord around the mid-back region. Usual symptoms encompass back pain and a gradual loss of leg function; in certain instances, this paralysis can result in a lasting condition.