Demyelination
Demyelination is incorrectly often equated to multiple sclerosis, whereas in reality it is a generic pathological term simply describing, as the word suggests, the loss of normal myelin around axons in the central nervous system. This should be distinguished from dysmyelination where the formation of normal myelin is absent.
Primary
- Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) : is the first symptomatic episode which may or may not progress to MS
- Clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) : can only be diagnosed if McDonald Diagnostic Criteria for MS (or other similar criteria) are met.
- Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) : monophasic usually post viral acute demyelination.
- Devic's Syndrome
- Transverse myelitis
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Infective
Toxic
- Central pontine myelinolysis
- Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) : related to hypertension predominatly
- Chemotherapy
Metabolic / genetic
Although not referred to as demyelination many processes which cause iscahemia lead to demyelination:
- Deep white matter ischaemia
- Radiotherapy changes
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