JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

Article

Journal of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences

Year: 2026, Volume: 16, Issue: 1, Pages: 84-86

Case Report

A Rare Case Report of Atypical Presentation of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)

Received Date:17 June 2024, Accepted Date:31 October 2025, Published Date:21 April 2026

Abstract

Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an inflammatory condition that causes demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS). It usually occurs in children and is characterized by multifocal brain lesions and encephalopathy. An 11-year-old male presented with a 15-day history of fever, pain abdomen for 1 week, neck pain with inability to walk for 3 days, and loss of bladder control for 1 day. Systemic examination done revealed hypotonia in the lower limbs with hyporeflexia. MRI brain with spine done revealed - scattered T1 iso-hypo and T2 hyperintensity involving spinal cord, suggestive of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis. The child was started on supportive management and Intravenous Methyl Prednisolone. The child clinically improved, partially attained bladder control and was discharged with tapering doses of oral steroids. On follow up the child attained complete bladder control and was able to walk completely in the following 3 months. ADEM can manifest atypically with hypotonia in the lower limbs with loss of bladder control. Neuroimaging and a high index of suspicion are crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of these individuals.

Keywords: Encephalomyelitis, Neuroimaging, Methyl Prednisolone

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Copyright

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Published By Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education, Kolar, Karnataka

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