What is "encephalomyelitis"

n. (context pathology English) Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

n. inflammation of the brain and spinal cord

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 viral infection;
• Encephalomyelitis disseminata, a synonym for multiple sclerosis;
• AntiMOG associated encephalomyelitis, one of the underlying conditions for the phenotype neuromyelitis optica and in general all the spectrum of MOG autoantibody-associated demyelinating diseases.
• Equine encephalomyelitis, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne viral disease that infects horses and humans;
• Myalgic encephalomyelitis, a disease involving presumed 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.
• Progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus (PERM) - A kind of stiff person syndrome
• AIDS related encephalomyelitis, caused by opportunistic Human T-lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) infection