All rights reserved. Neuromyelitis optica, or NMO, is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that predominantly affects the optic nerves and spinal cord.) Research funded by NINDS aims to develop and implement new MRI techniques to quantitatively assess the relationship between spinal cord pathology and neurological dysfunction in MS. Treatment is most often given in a hospital or in a rehabilitation facility where a specialized medical team can prevent or treat problems that afflict paralyzed individuals. In some cases these may be permanent.
Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. Sometimes the term Transverse myelitis spectrum disorders is used.

It is estimated that about 1,400 new cases of transverse myelitis are diagnosed each year in the United States.Although some people recover from transverse myelitis with minor or no residual problems, the healing process may take months to years.

Aggressive acute treatment and physical therapy have been shown to improve outcomes. The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. Treatments to prevent or minimize permanent neurological deficits include corticosteroid and other medications that suppress the immune system, plasmapheresis (removal of proteins from the blood), or antiviral medications.The exact cause of transverse myelitis and extensive damage to nerve fibers of the spinal cord is unknown in many cases. It does not appear to be genetic or run in families. Some people recover completely and then experience a relapse. This can cause pain, muscle weakness, paralysis, sensory problems, or bladder and bowel dysfunction.There are many different causes of transverse myelitis, including infections and immune system disorders that attack the body's tissues. In individuals with transverse myelitis, myelin damage most often occurs in nerves in the upper back, causing problems with leg movement and bowel and bladder control, which require signals from the lower segments of the spinal cord.Physicians diagnose transverse myelitis by taking a medical history and performing a thorough neurological examination. Examples of underlying disorders that may require long-term treatment include multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica. The term Causes of transverse myelitis include infections, immune system disorders, and other disorders that may damage or destroy myelin, the fatty white insulating substance that covers nerve cell fibers. Idiopathic acute transverse myelitis is a focal inflammatory disorder of the spinal cord of unknown etiology diagnosed according to established criteria. The symptoms may develop suddenly (over a period of hours) or over days or weeks.Transverse myelitis can affect people of any age, gender, or race. The myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein sits on the outer layer of myelin.

Strength and functioning may improve with rehabilitative services, even years after the initial episode. The aquaporin-4 IgG antibody appears to cause myelitis in NMOSD by binding to the water channel and activating other components of the immune system, resulting in injury to the spinal cord. Inflammation within the spinal cord interrupts communications between nerve fibers in the spinal cord and the rest of the body, affecting sensation and nerve signaling below the injury. Sometimes there is no known cause.Viral, bacterial and fungal infections affecting the spinal cord may cause transverse myelitis. They are aimed at preventing future myelitis attacks (or attacks at other sites) and include steroid-sparing drugs such as mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, and rituximab.Many forms of long-term rehabilitative therapy are available for people who have disabilities resulting from transverse myelitis.