- With Mayo Clinic neurologist
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
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Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Dr. Jerry Swanson is a board-certified neurologist at Mayo Clinic and is a professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He has a special interest in headache disorders and medical education.
Dr. Swanson, a Lacon, Ill., native, was appointed to the Mayo Clinic staff in 1982 and works in the Department of Neurology with about 90 other physicians. He formerly chaired the Headache Division in the Neurology Department at Mayo Clinic and works with headache subspecialists around the world. He has published and lectured widely on headache disorders. He also serves as Assistant Dean for Assessment in Mayo Medical School.
"In a manner similar to the printing press, Internet technology enables the unprecedented ability to communicate with the global community about health information," Dr. Swanson says. "There is no doubt that the knowledgeable individual contributes greatly to his or her own health care, and now we can share information much more widely."
"There is much information already available about health care on the Internet. Unfortunately, much of it is not founded on sound principles. It is exciting to be a part of the MayoClinic.com team and contribute to the creation of a reliable and timely health resource."
Dr. Swanson is the neurology editor for "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and has reviewed articles for "Mayo Clinic Health Letter" and "Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource." He is also editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic on Headache" book, published in 2004. In 2008 the magazine "Women's Health" named him one of America's Top Doctors for Women.
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Question
Demyelinating disease: What causes it?
What is the cause of demyelinating disease?
Answer
from Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
A demyelinating disease is any condition that results in damage to the protective covering (myelin sheath) that surrounds nerves in your brain and spinal cord. When the myelin is damaged, nerve impulses slow or even stop, causing neurological problems.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common demyelinating disease. In this disorder, your immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath or the cells that produce and maintain the myelin sheath. This causes inflammation and injury to the sheath and ultimately to the nerves that it surrounds. The result may be multiple areas of scarring (sclerosis), which can eventually slow or block nerve signals that control muscle coordination, strength, sensation and vision.
Other types of demyelinating disease include:
- Optic neuritis, a condition due to inflammation of the optic nerve in one or both eyes, which can lead to acute vision loss.
- Devic disease (neuromyelitis optica), a condition characterized by inflammation of the optic nerve and spinal cord, which may result in pain, temporary or permanent blindness, muscle weakness or paralysis.
- Transverse myelitis, a disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord, which can lead to muscle weakness, pain or paralysis.
- Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a disorder due to inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, which may result in headache, delirium, seizures and coma.
- Adrenoleukodystrophy and adrenomyeloneuropathy. These rare, inherited metabolic disorders can lead to mental deterioration, muscle spasms, weakness, vision loss and hearing loss.
- Frosch MP, et al. The central nervous system. In: Kumar V, et al. Robbins and Cotran: Pathologic Basis of Disease. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Saunders; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/122384184-4/0/1249/360.html?tocnode=51158609&fromURL=360.html#4-u1.0-B0-7216-0187-1..50032-8--cesec146_4334. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
- Ferri FF. Demyelinating diseases. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/122384184-6/808949326/1701/771.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04134-8..50032-X--cesec15_14225. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
- Olek MJ. Epidemiology, risk factors and clinical features of multiple sclerosis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
- NINDS neuromyelitis optica information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/neuromyelitis_optica/neuromyelitis_optica.htm. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- NINDS adrenoleukodystrophy information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/adrenoleukodystrophy/adrenoleukodystrophy.htm. Accessed March 2, 2009.
- Maertens P, et al. Storage diseases: Neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinoses, lipidoses, glycogenoses and leukodystrophies. In: Goetz CG. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/123287021-5/0/1488/270.html?tocnode=53802198&fromURL=270.html. Accessed March 2, 2009.
