Overview
Transverse myelitis (TM) is a rare neurological condition caused by inflammation of your spinal cord.
Your spinal cord is a cylindrical structure that runs through the center of your spine, from your brainstem to your low back. It’s a delicate structure that contains nerve bundles and cells that carry messages from your brain to the rest of your body.
Due to inflammation, the covering (myelin sheath) around the nerve cells in your spinal cord is damaged. This interrupts the signals between spinal nerves and the rest of your body, causing issues such as loss of sensation, movement and bladder control.
TM can happen around your spinal cord in any region along your spine.
The term “myelitis” means inflammation of the spinal cord. “Transverse” refers to the pattern of changes in sensation and function — there’s often a band-like sensation across the trunk of your body in TM, with sensory changes below that band.
In most cases, TM is a one-time condition with a sudden onset followed by improvement or stabilization.
Who does transverse myelitis affect?
Transverse myelitis (TM) can occur in any person at any age. But it seems to affect people between the ages of 10 to 19 years, and 30 to 39 years more. Approximately 25% of cases affect children. TM doesn’t appear to be genetic or run in families.
How common is transverse myelitis (TM)?
Transverse myelitis is rare. There are approximately 1 to 8 new U.S. cases per 1 million people a year, or approximately 1,400 new cases each year.
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