فهرس الموضوع
How do you treat inflammation of the spinal cord?
Intravenous corticosteroid drugs may decrease swelling and inflammation in the spine and reduce immune system activity. Such drugs may include methylprednisolone or dexamethasone. These medications may also be given to reduce subsequent attacks of transverse myelitis in individuals with underlying disorders.
Inflammation of the spinal cord
Inflammation of the spinal cord is also called transverse myelitis (Myelitis transversa) and it is a neurological disorder. Learn more about it:
myelitis
Myelitis is a non-hereditary neurological disorder that damages the myelin covering fibers of nerve cells, blocking the messages sent by the nerves of the spinal cord throughout the body. Inflammation can occur at any age.
Symptoms of myelitis
Signs and symptoms of myelitis usually appear within a few hours or a few days. Here are the most common symptoms:
- Pain in the lower back.
- Muscle cramps and weakness.
- paralysis;
- Heaviness and weakness in the arms and legs.
- Sensory problems, such as tingling, coldness, numbness, or burning.
- Bladder and bowel weakness, which may include: the need to urinate frequently, or difficulty urinating and constipation.
- a headache.
- Fever.
- Anorexia.
- Respiratory problems.
- impotence;
- Depression or anxiety .
Myelitis usually affects both sides of the body below the affected area of the spinal cord, but sometimes symptoms can occur on only one side of the body, so pain symptoms vary depending on which part of the spinal cord is affected.
Causes of myelitis
The main cause of spinal cord inflammation is not yet known, but some factors may lead to inflammation, most notably:
1. Viral, bacterial and fungal infections
Infection leads to infections of the spinal cord, most notably: Herpes, Lyme Disease, Cryptococcosis, and Toxoplasmosis.
2. Multiple sclerosis
It is a disorder in which the immune system destroys the myelin surrounding nerves in the spinal cord and brain.
3. Neuromyelitis optica
Inflammation in the medulla leads to loss of myelin around the spinal cord and optic nerve, which transmits information to the brain.
4. Other inflammatory disorders
There are some inflammatory disorders that may affect the health of the spinal cord, such as: sarcoidosis, lupus, and Sjögren’s syndrome.
Methods for detecting myelitis
Here are the main methods used:
1. MRI
An MRI is used to see if something is affecting the nerves or spinal cord, and the possible causes and abnormalities causing the inflammation.
2. Lumbar puncture
Also called a spinal tap, it is a procedure in which a needle is used to withdraw a small percentage of the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord and brain to check for inflammation, and often an increased number of white blood cells.
3. Blood tests
It is checked through blood tests for antibodies associated with myelitis optica, excluding various disorders and causes leading to this.
Spinal cord inflammation treatment
Here are the main treatments used:
1. Medical treatments
Learn about the most important ones:
-
Corticosteroid therapy
Corticosteroid injections into a vein in the arm are used for several days to reduce inflammation in the spine and reduce the activity of the immune system. The most prominent drugs are Prednisolone or Dexamethasone.
-
Plasma exchange therapy
Plasma exchange therapy can be used for people who do not respond well to intravenous steroids, as it often helps reduce the activity of the immune system by removing the fluid in which blood cells and antibodies are suspended and replacing them with special fluids, thus removing the antibodies and other proteins thought to cause inflammation and to prevent damage to other organs.
-
intravenous immunoglobulin
It is a treatment that resets the immune system and is given intravenously, in which a high percentage of antibodies collected from many healthy donors are injected that bind to antibodies that may cause the disorder and remove them from the circulation.
-
pain killers
Medications that help reduce muscle soreness include acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen.
-
Antidepressants
You can treat nerve pain with anti-depressants, such as: sertraline (Sertraline) and Doluxtan (Duloxetine).
-
other medicines
Your doctor may prescribe some medications for other problems, including: muscle relaxants, such as baclofen and tizanidine, or anticonvulsants, such as gabapentin or pregabalin, and some antiviral medications may also be prescribed.
2. Other treatments
Other treatments include:
-
natural therapy
This treatment helps improve strength, maintain flexibility in muscles and limbs, and help with the use of certain devices, such as: a wheelchair, canes or braces.
-
occupational therapy
This therapy helps you learn new ways to do daily routine activities, such as cooking, bathing and getting dressed.
-
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy helps relieve symptoms of depression, anxiety and other emotional or SCI issues.