What is transverse myelitis and how is it related to MS?
“Myelitis” means inflammation in the spinal cord. While it can be part of an attack of multiple sclerosis, it can also occur as an isolated event with no future attacks. Then it is called transverse myelitis (TM) and is identified as “myelitis,” a separate disease from MS. Confusion can arise because spinal cord inflammation can be the first attack of MS. In this situation, the neurologist looks for other areas of damage in the brain and tries to illicit a history of previous neurological episodes that might be indicative of MS. The MRI can be helpful at this point. TM may occur after a viral infection or after a vaccination, but many cases have no known preceding event. TM is often seen in children, which is unusual for MS. Both diseases may be treated with high doses of intravenous steroids. However, conclusive proof is lacking as to whether or not steroids make much difference in TM, since TM patients may get better without steroid therapy and others do not recover in spite of massi
