The 2 types of myelitis: symptoms, causes and treatment

This kind of inflammation of the nervous system can manifest itself in two different ways.

Myelitis is an involvement that occurs in the neuronal axons and usually causes significant changes in the electrical activity of the axons, as well as in the activity of the immune system.

There are two main types of myelitis that vary according to the cause, the severity of the damage and the specific symptoms. symptoms. We will see below what each one is about, what are the main causes and what is their treatment.

What is myelitis?

Myelitis is an inflammation of the spinal cord that can significantly affect the responses emitted from the brain to the rest of the body, and vice versa.

This occurs because this inflammation can cause a decrease or significant damage to myelin, a lipid substance that coats neuronal axons. This substance has among its responsibilities to regulate the conduction speed of electrical impulses between neurons, so that an alteration of its functions produces changes in their activity.

On the other hand, myelitis can be caused by infections derived from different viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites.. In these cases the spinal cord is affected by an immune system response that, instead of creating antibodies to counteract the virus, reproduces the same virus causing inflammation. For this reason, it is considered a type of autoimmune disease.

Two types of myelitis: their differences

Commonly myelitis occurs in a narrow region within the spinal cord. However, in some cases it can spread to other areas, causing various damages and symptoms.. When it is a specific region it is usually due to an infection, while when it is an extension to other areas it is usually a process of multicausal myelin depletion.

Accordingly, two main types of myelitis are usually recognized: poliomyelitis and transverse myelitis. Let us see their differences.

1. Poliomyelitis

Also called polio or infantile paralysis, it is a myelitis caused by viral infections. caused by viral infections. It usually affects the gray matter, resulting in symptoms such as muscle paralysis (in many cases permanent, but not necessarily) and excessive fatigue.

In case the poliovirus affects the spinal cord, the common symptoms are paralysis of the legs. Mild symptoms include headache, fever and pain in the extremities..

On the other hand, if the poliovirus affects the bulbar region of the brain, the affected area is the white matter and cranial nerves, resulting in paralysis of the muscles of the face and symptoms such as encephalitis, difficulty breathing or difficulty speaking and swallowing. Another way in which myelitis has been called when it affects the white matter is leukomyelitis, a condition related to similar diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Finally, if the virus Finally, if the virus affects the bulbospinal region and associated cranial nerves, it can cause paralysis of the diaphragm.Finally, if the virus affects the bulbospinal region and associated cranial nerves, it can cause paralysis of the diaphragm, inflammation of the lungs and impairment of cardiac functions.

It is usually transmitted through infected fecal matter, which in turn can be found in contaminated food and water. Less frequently it is transmitted by saliva. A stool test or a test for antibody activity in the Blood is used to diagnose polio.

Polio can be prevented by vaccination (polio vaccine). However, there is no definite cure. The pharmacological treatment consists of taking antibioticsto prevent further infection, analgesics for pain control, and moderate exercise along with physical therapy and nutritious diets.

2. Transverse myelitis

Transverse myelitis is caused by a process of myelin reduction (demyelination) on the sides of the spinal cord. It is called "transverse" precisely because the inflammation extends to these sidesalthough in some occasions it can affect only one of them. In the latter case it is called "partial transverse myelitis".

It generally causes symptoms such as fatigue or excessive weakness and numbness of the extremities, sometimes accompanied by headaches and muscle aches. It also causes changes in sensitivity and motor skills, urethral function and anal sphincter. In some cases it also affects the autonomic nervous system, which can cause episodes of hypertension.

It is a heterogeneous condition, the causes of which may be diverse. For example, it can be caused by infections, but also by disorders of the immune system, damage to the nerve fibers and damage to the myelin sheaths, which in turn can lead to changes in the conduction of electrical signals between neurons.. The definitive, underlying cause of the latter is so far unknown.

For the same reason there is no definitive cure. Treatment is usually symptomatic, i.e., it seeks to reduce each symptom according to its particular nature. It may include physical therapy to recover some motor functions, as well as the use of support tools to replace or enhance these functions.

Bibliographic references:

• Poliomyelitis (polio). World Health Organization. Retrieved October 09, 2018. Available at http://www.who.int/topics/poliomyelitis/en/.
• What is Transverse Myelitis? (2018). Neurology and Neurosurgery. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved October 09, 2018. Available at https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/centers_clinics/transverse_myelitis/about-tm/what-is-transverse-myelitis.html.