Autoimmune myelopathy (Q84149)

Autoimmune myelopathies are immune mediated diseases of the spinal cord. Patients may present with transverse myelitis (which may be relapsing) or a progressive myelopathy. A personal or family history of other autoimmune disorders (e.g. Sjogren’s syndrome) is common. Abnormalities within the spinal cord on MRI and an inflammatory spinal fluid are typical. Neural specific autoantibodies (e.g. collapsing response mediator protein 5 western blot detection which may occur outside of the setting of cancer) and/or non-organ specific autoantibodies (e.g. antibodies to the extractable nuclear antigen) are often detected. It is important to exclude other myelitis etiologies (e.g. infections).