Prognosis
Whether the inflammation of the spinal cord can be cured cannot be judged in general. The different causes result in different treatment strategies and thus different chances of cure. A pathogen-induced genesis of the spinal cord inflammation usually has a good prognosis.
With antibacterial and antiviral drugs, a cure and control of the pathogen can be sought. Spinal cord inflammation also usually recedes after the causative pathogen has been eliminated. Idiopathic inflammation can also be cured in many cases.
Autoimmune diseases, however, represent a protracted course of disease for many affected persons. With the help of cortisone and many other therapeutic options, the disease can usually be well controlled, often even completely symptom-free phases can be achieved. However, a complete cure of the disease is rarely possible.
In principle, one must always look where the inflammation is in the spinal cord inflammation. The deeper it is located, the fewer failures are to be expected. In most cases, these failures are not life-threatening, but they can still cause great stress in everyday life. The disease can become really dangerous if the brain stem or other brain structures are involved. In this case one speaks of encephalomyelitis, as it occurs for example in the context of acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis (ADEM).
Duration
The duration of a spinal cord inflammation cannot be answered in general terms. It depends on the underlying disease and on the start of therapy. An early start of therapy can positively influence the duration and minimize complications.
If an inflammation of the spinal cord is caused by a disease such as multiple sclerosis or lupus erythematosus, it can become chronic and cause new symptoms. In most cases, patients feel an improvement after about three months. Within a year, most patients are free of symptoms, although there may be progressions where the healing process can take up to two years.
No general statement can be made about the duration of the healing process. It can vary depending on the disease. In some cases there may be no cure – instead, the inflammation may become chronic and cause recurring complaints.
This is particularly the case with autoimmune diseases. These are diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus or even sarcoidosis. However, the symptoms can be reduced by an adequate therapy.
However, if the spinal cord inflammation is infectious, healing can occur after a few months. Most patients are free of symptoms within one year.However, there are also cases where the healing process is delayed. The majority of myelitides are acutely in a relapse (monophasic) and can be controlled with so-called immunomodulatory measures, i.e. measures that influence the immune system.
Nevertheless, chronic inflammation of the spinal cord can also occur, especially if it is caused by severe autoimmune diseases. In medicine, the term “chronic” initially only means “lasting over a longer period of time” and is defined differently for different diseases. In the case of myelitis, there is no clear limit, but if it lasts longer than 6 months, one can certainly speak of a chronic inflammation. Especially such patients need extensive therapy, including neurological rehabilitation, to treat the neurological problems that have arisen.