A private hospital in Gurgaon has cured one of the first cases of Covid-19-associated Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a rare neurological disorder, the Economic Times has reported.
A 36-year-old labourer from Bihar was cured of ADEM at Medeor Hospital in Manesar, a dedicated Covid-19 healthcare facility.
Commenting on this remarkable case successfully handled by the team at Medeor, Dr. Ashish Gupta, Director – Critical Care Medicine, Medeor Hospital, Manesar said, “At Medeor Hospital Manesar – dedicated facility for the treatment and management of COVID-19 patients, we are receiving only confirmed COVID patients and have so far treated more than 200 patients. This is the first case of ADEM which our specialised team of doctors and medical staff have successfully treated for COVID. Being a rarest of the rare disease, there have been hardly any reported cases of COVID-19 related ADEM, as per our present knowledge.”
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), also known as postinfectious encephalomyelitis, is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Commonly triggered by viral infections, ADEM is caused by an inflammatory reaction in the brain and spinal cord.
The onset of encephalopathy and multifocal neurologic deficits is acute and often rapidly progressive. ADEM is typically monophasic, but some patients may either have recurrences or have an ADEM-like presentation as the first attack of a chronic demyelinating disease such as multiple sclerosis or neuromyelitis optica.
ADEM has been associated with some infectious organisms and immunizations. Most commonly associated organisms include cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex virus, human herpes-virus-6, influenza virus, hepatitis A, human immunodeficiency virus, and mycoplasma pneumonia – though, in the majority of cases, the causative pathogen is not identified. Additional associated bacterial infections include Leptospira, beta-hemolytic streptococci, and Borrelia burgdorferi.
Prior to the development of immunization programs, ADEM was most commonly associated with measles (in addition to an increased incidence in association with rubeola, rubella, mumps, varicella, and smallpox as well). Today, ADEM is more commonly associated with viral infections of the gastrointestinal or respiratory tracts.