Introduction
Inflammation of the spinal cord (medical term: myelitis) can have various causes and effects. The disease belongs to the neurological diseases of immunological, allergic or idiopathic cause. Overall, it is a relatively rare neurological disease.
Together with the brain, the spinal cord belongs to the so-called central nervous system. The spinal cord is responsible for transmitting all information coming from different parts of the body to the right places in the brain and vice versa. For this reason, an inflammation in the spinal cord can cause a variety of symptoms, depending on the location of the infection, which also vary greatly in their course.
The different types of spinal cord inflammation are classified according to the type of inflammation and – if it is infectious myelitis – according to the different pathogens responsible for the inflammation. For example, a disease can be described as an inflammation of the spinal cord if it occurs either in the context of an infectious disease, an allergic reaction, a neurological disease, or in isolation. There are basically two different types of spinal cord inflammation: Spinal cord inflammation can develop acutely within a few hours or days, subacutely (within a few weeks) and chronically (after 6 weeks).
- If the entire spinal cord is diffusely distributed affected, one speaks of a cross-sectional myelitis
- If there are several foci that affect different sections of the spinal cord, this is called disseminated myelitis.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a spinal cord inflammation can be very diverse. The individual severity of the respective symptoms is mainly determined by the type of inflammation and the progress of the disease. The main difference in the respective symptomatology is determined by the type of disease.
For example, it depends on whether the affected person is affected by a cross-sectional or disseminated spinal cord inflammation. Since spinal cord inflammation is an inflammation of the central nervous system, it also affects functions that may not be associated with the spinal cord at first glance. The reason for this is that a number of processes in the body are regulated by nerves that run through the spinal cord.
An inflammation in this area therefore often results in the loss of regions that may be far away from the spinal cord. Overall, the symptoms of the inflammation occur within 24 hours in most affected individuals. In the case of cross-sectional myelitis, the individual symptoms depend in principle on the level of the spinal cord at which the inflammation occurs.
Frequently observed symptoms of spinal cord inflammation of the type of transverse myelitis are muscle weakness or paralysis, sensory disturbances, depression, general weakness and disturbances of bladder or rectum activity. Particularly frequent are also sensations or numbness in the legs and a pronounced feeling of weakness. Similar symptoms occur in so-called disseminated spinal cord inflammation.
The difference lies in the holistically affected spinal cord in the presence of a disseminated inflammation. Thus, the symptoms can also be very serious and include severe paralysis, head and neck pain, visual disturbances, epileptic seizures or vomiting. A problem with the typical symptoms of spinal cord inflammation is that other diseases affecting the spinal cord, so-called myelopathies, also cause very similar symptoms and are therefore very difficult to distinguish from spinal cord inflammation by clinical examination.
It is also worth mentioning that mostly flu-like symptoms can be brought into close temporal relation with the occurrence of the spinal cord inflammation. Approximately 30% of affected persons report feelings of weakness, fever, and aching limbs shortly before the diagnosis of spinal cord inflammation. Depending on the type and cause, various long-term consequences can arise, and the location of the inflammation in the spinal cord is also crucial.
In principle, all acute symptoms such as paralysis, pain or sensation can also become chronic, especially if the disease is not treated or cannot be treated sufficiently.Nerve pain in particular is very distressing for sufferers when it becomes chronic, as normal painkillers do not respond here and it can be difficult to find a suitable medication. If necessary, a pain therapist must also be consulted here. For paralysis and paresthesia, physiotherapy and occupational therapy are also recommended.
Depending on the type and severity of the paralysis, it can also lead to inability to walk. If long-term damage remains, this is often a great burden for the person affected, so depression is another possible consequence. Find out here what you need to know about nerve pain!
