Demyelinating disease

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Demyelinating disease Classification and external resources
MeSH	D003711

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. Organophosphates, 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.

Contents 1 Demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system 2 Demyelinating diseases of the peripheral nervous system 3 See also 4 References

[edit] 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

[edit] Demyelinating diseases of the peripheral nervous system

• Guillain-Barré syndrome and its chronic counterpart, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
• anti-MAG peripheral neuropathy.

[edit] See also

• Multiple sclerosis borderline
• The Lesion Project (multiple sclerosis)
• The Myelin Project

[edit] References

v • d • e Pathology of the nervous system, primarily CNS (G00-G47, 320-349) Inflammatory diseases of the CNS Meningitis (Arachnoiditis) - Encephalitis - Myelitis - Encephalomyelitis (Acute disseminated) - Tropical spastic paraparesis - Cavernous sinus thrombosis Systemic atrophies primarily affecting the CNS Huntington's Spinocerebellar ataxia (Friedreich's ataxia, Ataxia telangiectasia, Hereditary spastic paraplegia) Spinal muscular atrophy: Werdnig-Hoffman - Kugelberg-Welander - Fazio Londe - MND (ALS, PMA, PBP, PP, PLS) Extrapyramidal and movement disorders Parkinson's disease - Neuroleptic malignant syndrome - Postencephalitic parkinsonism - Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration - Progressive supranuclear palsy - Striatonigral degeneration Dystonia/Dyskinesia (Spasmodic torticollis, Meige's, Blepharospasm) Essential tremor - Myoclonus - Lafora Chorea (Choreoathetosis) - Restless legs - Stiff person Other degenerative/ demyelinating diseases dementia: Alzheimer's - Pick's - Dementia with Lewy bodies - Frontotemporal lobar degeneration mitochondrial disease: Leigh's demyelinating: Multiple sclerosis - Devic's - Central pontine myelinolysis - Transverse myelitis - Marchiafava-Bignami disease - CAMFAK syndrome - Alpers' Seizure/epilepsy Focal (Simple partial, Complex partial) - Generalised (Tonic-clonic, Absence, Atonic, Benign familial neonatal) Lennox-Gastaut - West - Epilepsia partialis continua - Status epilepticus (Complex partial status epilepticus) Headache Migraine (Familial hemiplegic) - Cluster - Vascular - Tension Vascular Transient ischemic attack (Amaurosis fugax, Transient global amnesia) Cerebrovascular disease (MCA, ACA, PCA, Foville's, Millard-Gubler, Lateral medullary, Weber's, Lacunar stroke) Sleep disorders Insomnia - Hypersomnia - Sleep apnea (Ondine's curse) - Narcolepsy - Cataplexy - Kleine-Levin - Circadian rhythm sleep - Delayed sleep phase - Advanced sleep phase Intracranial hypertension Hydrocephalus (Normal pressure) - Idiopathic intracranial hypertension Other encephalopathy Brain herniation - Cerebral edema - Reye's Other spinal cord disease Syringomyelia - Syringobulbia - Morvan's syndrome - Spinal cord compression