title: Acute and chronic demyelinating disease.
abstract: There are multiple entities subsumed under this title that have in common the primary destruction of central nervous system myelin with relative sparing of axons. The hereditary diseases are often referred to as dysmyelinating diseases in which there is a genetic defect in the formation or maintenance of myelin; they usually occur in children. The other processes are sometimes called myelinoclastic, which implies an attack on otherwise normal myelin.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D010038:Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases / Q000209:etiology*