title: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis: current knowledge and open questions.
abstract: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is usually an acute, multi-focal, and monophasic immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system. The disorder is mainly a condition of the pediatric age group, but neurologists are also involved in the management of adult patients. The lack of defined diagnostic criteria for ADEM underlies the limited understanding of its epidemiology, etiology, pathogenesis, course, prognosis, therapy, as well as the association with, and distinction from, multiple sclerosis. The present review summarizes current knowledge and outlines unanswered questions the answers to which should be eventually provided through a synergistic combination of clinical and basic research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rabin Medical Center, Campus Beilinson, 49100, Petah Tikva, Israel. isteiner@cc.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G51 4TF, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Peter G E
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D004673:Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated; D006801:Humans
keywords: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis; Infection; Multiple sclerosis; Post infection; Viruses