ADEM
What is ADEM?
* Revised 5/27/2021. This information sheet has been reviewed and approved by members of SRNA’s Medical and Scientific Council.
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a rare inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. ADEM is thought to be an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own brain tissue, triggered by an environmental stimulus in genetically susceptible individuals. In most cases, ADEM is believed to be triggered by a response to an infection, or much less likely, to a vaccination. For this reason, ADEM has sometimes been referred to as post-infectious or post-immunization acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.
