acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (redirected from Encephalomyelitis, acute disseminated)

encephalomyelitis /en·ceph·a·lo·my·eli·tis/ (en-sef″ah-lo-mi″ĕ-li´tis) inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

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acute disseminated encephalomyelitis  inflammation of the brain and spinal cord after infection (especially measles) or, formerly, rabies vaccination.

acute necrotizing hemorrhagic encephalomyelitis  a rare, fatal postinfection or allergic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, having a fulminating course; characterized by liquefactive destruction of the white matter and widespread necrosis of blood vessel walls.

benign myalgic encephalomyelitis  chronic fatigue syndrome.

eastern equine encephalomyelitis  (EEE) a viral disease of horses and mules that can be spread to humans, usually affecting children and the elderly and manifested by fever, headache, and nausea followed by drowsiness, convulsions, and coma; in the United States it occurs primarily east of the Mississippi river.

equine encephalomyelitis  see eastern equine e., western equine e., and Venezuelan equine e.

postinfectious encephalomyelitis , postvaccinal encephalomyelitis acute disseminated e.

Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis  (VEE) a viral disease of horses and mules; the infection in humans resembles influenza, with little or no indication of nervous system involvement; the causative agent was first isolated in Venezuela.

western equine encephalomyelitis  (WEE) a viral disease of horses and mules, communicable to humans, occurring chiefly as a meningoencephalitis, with little involvement of the medulla or spinal cord; observed in the United States chiefly west of the Mississippi River.

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acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

n.

A diffuse inflammation of the brain and spinal cord usually caused by a perivascular hypersensitivity response.

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acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM),

an acute disease of the brain and spinal cord with variable symptoms. It is thought to be an allergic reaction or immune attack on the myelin tissue after a viral infection, such as measles, or, less often, after vaccination for measles, mumps, or rubella. Early symptoms may include fever, headache, vomiting, and drowsiness and progress to seizures, coma, and paralysis. It is often misdiagnosed as a severe attack of multiple sclerosis. Frequently patients who recover experience neurologic disorders. Also called acute disseminated encephalitis.