INFORMATION ON TRANSVERSE MYELITIS

Transverse Myelitis is a rare neurological disorder that is part of a spectrum of neuroimmunologic diseases of the central nervous system. Other disorders in this spectrum include, Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, Optic Neuritis, and Neuromyelitis Optica. The membership of The Transverse Myelitis Association includes persons with all of these disorders, their family members and caregivers and the medical professionals who treat people with these disorders. Conservative estimates of incidence per year vary from 1 to 5 per million populations
The term myelitis is a nonspecific term for inflammation of the spinal cord; transverse refers to involvement across one level of the spinal cord. It occurs in both adults and children. You may also hear the term myelopathy, which is a more general term for any disorder of the spinal cord
Attacks of inflammation can damage or destroy myelin, the fatty insulating substance that covers nerve cell fibers. This damage causes nervous system scars that interrupt communications between the nerves in the spinal cord and the rest of the body.

SYNONYMS OF TRANSVERSE MYELITIS

1. Devic Syndrome
2. Neuromyelitis Optica
3. Opthalmoneuromyelitis
4. Optic Neuroencephalomyelopathy
5. Optic Neuromyelitis
6. Opticomyelitis
7. Retrobulbar Neuropathy

CAUSES OF TRANSVERSE MYELITIS

Transverse myelitis may occur in isolation or in the setting of another illness. When it occurs without apparent underlying cause, it is referred to as idiopathic. Idiopathic transverse myelitis is assumed to be a result of abnormal activation of the immune system against the spinal cord.
The cause of idiopathic transverse myelitis is unknown, but most evidence supports an autoimmune process. This means that the patient's own immune system is abnormally stimulated to attack the spinal cord and cause inflammation and tissue damage.

Some other causes

1. Viral infections
2. Spinal cord injuries
3. Immune reactions
4. Insufficient spinal cord blood flow
5. Optic neuromyelitis
6. Multiple sclerosis
7. Smallpox
8. Measles
9. Chickenpox

SYMPTOMS OF TRANSVERSE MYELITIS

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Transverse myelitis includes those listed below.

Some symptoms are:-

1. Lower back pain
2. Spinal cord dysfunction
3. Muscle spasms
4. General feeling of discomfort
5. Headaches
6. Loss of appetite
7. Leg numbness
8. Leg tingling

DIAGNOSIS TRANSVERSE MYELITIS

Acute transverse myelitis must be distinguished from other disorders that cause similar symptoms, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, spinal cord compression, or blockage of the blood supply to the spinal cord.
To exclude other possible diagnoses, doctors may perform a spinal tap. In people with acute transverse myelitis, the number of certain types of white blood cells and the protein level in the spinal fluid are usually increased, but these findings are not conclusive. Magnetic resonance imaging can detect swelling of the spinal cord. Blood tests are rarely helpful.
High doses of corticosteroids such as prednisone are often given to suppress the immune system, which is thought to be involved in acute transverse myelitis. However, the benefit of these drugs has been shown only in people who also have multiple sclerosis.

TREATMENT OF TRANSVERSE MYELITIS

The standard treatment is with high doses of corticosteroids. With this treatment, about half the people with transverse myelitis will recover within six months.

Another promising therapy is plasma exchange.
Transverse myelitis who didn't respond to steroids was treated with a two-week course of plasma exchange within the first three months after onset of the condition. Forty percent of study participants showed dramatic recovery with the plasma exchange treatment.
Physicians often prescribe corticosteroid therapy during the first few weeks of illness to decrease inflammation.

Patients with acute symptoms, such as paralysis, are most often treated in a hospital or in a rehabilitation facility where a specialized medical team can prevent or treat problems that afflict paralyzed patients