Demyelinating disease
You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.
A demyelinating disease is any disease of the nervous system in which the myelin sheath of neurons is damaged. This impairs the conduction of signals in the affected nerves, causing impairment in sensation, movement, cognition, or other functions depending on which nerves are involved.
The term describes the effect of the disease, rather than its cause; some demyelinating diseases are caused by genetics, some by infectious agents, some by autoimmune reactions, and some by unknown factors. Organo-phosphates, a class of chemicals which are the active ingredients in commercial insecticides such as sheep dip, weed-killers, and flea treatment preparations for pets, etc, will also demyelinate nerves.
Demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system
- multiple sclerosis (together with the similar diseases called idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases)
- transverse myelitis
- Devic's disease
- progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
Demyelinating diseases of the peripheral nervous system
- Guillain-Barré syndrome and its chronic counterpart, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
- anti-MAG peripheral neuropathy.
See also
- Multiple sclerosis borderline
- The Lesion Project (multiple sclerosis)
- The Myelin Project
References
de:Demyelinisierende Erkrankungfr:Démyélinisation id:Penyakit demyelinating ja:脱髄疾患
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
