What does ADEM look like?

ADEM often follows viral or bacterial infections, or less often, vaccination for measles, mumps, or rubella. The symptoms of ADEM appear rapidly, beginning with encephalitis-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, nausea and vomiting, and in the most severe cases, seizures and coma.

What are the signs of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis?

What are the symptoms of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis?

• nausea and vomiting.
• headache.
• confusion.
• weakness.
• ataxia (unsteady walk)
• sensory changes, including numbness or tingling.
• optic neuritis (trouble with vision)
• seizures.

Can ADEM occur in adults?

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or ADEM, can happen to anyone, but affects children more often than adults. This rare neurological disorder often occurs after a viral or bacterial infection.

Is acute disseminated encephalomyelitis autoimmune?

ADEM is thought to be an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies its own healthy cells and tissues as foreign and mounts an attack against them. This attack results in inflammation.

What is ADEM adult?

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), also known as postinfectious encephalomyelitis, is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Commonly triggered by viral infections, ADEM is caused by an inflammatory reaction in the brain and spinal cord.

What do black spots on brain MRI mean?

T1-weighted MRI scan It reveals areas of active inflammation, which represent lesions that are either new or growing. This type of scan is particularly useful for the early diagnosis of MS. In a T1-weighted MRI scan, areas of the brain that are permanently damaged appear as dark spots, or “black holes.”

What is NMO?

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a central nervous system disorder that primarily affects the eye nerves (optic neuritis) and the spinal cord (myelitis). NMO is also known as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder or Devic’s disease.

Is ADEM a side effect of Covid vaccine?

A wide variety of precipitating factors can trigger ADEM, and it has long been known to be a rare adverse event following some types of vaccinations. Recently, ADEM has also been associated with COVID-19 infection and (very rarely) with COVID-19 vaccination.