Low serum vitamin D levels and recurrent inflammatory spinal cord disease.

BACKGROUND: Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels have been associated with a higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis and increased relapse rates in patients with multiple sclerosis. As a sterol hormone involved in multiple immunologic pathways, vitamin D may play a role in preventing monophasic immune-mediated central nervous system attacks from developing into recurrent disease. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between low serum vitamin D levels and recurrent spinal cord disease. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: We performed a retrospective analysis at Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center, Baltimore, Maryland, evaluating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in 77 patients with monophasic and recurrent inflammatory diseases of the spinal cord. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. RESULTS: Vitamin D levels are significantly lower in patients who developed recurrent spinal cord disease, adjusting for season, age, sex, and race. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a basis for a prospective trial of measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in these patient populations and assessing the influence of vitamin D supplementation on the frequency of relapses in those with recurrent inflammatory spinal cord disease.

Acute transverse myelitis after influenza vaccination: magnetic resonance imaging findings.

Descriptions in the literature of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in post-vaccination myelitis are scarce. Described here is a case of acute transverse myelitis that occurred after administration of an influenza vaccination. T1-weighted MRIs showed diffuse, fusiform spinal cord enlargement, extending from C-3 to rostral thoracic levels. Intramedullary lesions containing increased T2 signal were found in the areas of cord enlargement. The involvement on MRI was profound, extending far rostral to the level of the discrete clinical myelopathy. The lesions did not enhance after contrast administration. The patient had a complete long-term recovery of neurological function. This represents the first report of MRI findings in acute transverse myelitis after influenza vaccination.

[A case of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) associated with transverse myelitis responding to pulse therapy].

A 42-year-old female was admitted to our hospital on October 1, 1990 because of one week history of back pain, weakness of her right lower extremity and sensory disturbance of her left lower extremity. Physical examination revealed swollen hands, Raynaud's phenomenon, sclerodactyly and heliotrope rash. The body temperature was 37.0 degrees C. Neurological findings included weakness in the right lower extremity, left hypalgesia and thermohypesthesia below Th4, hyperreflexia on the right lower extremity and right extensive plantar response. Laboratory data showed leucopenia (3,700/mm3) and hypergammaglobulinemia. Serological examination revealed antinuclear antibodies with a titer of 1:5120 (speckled pattern) and anti-RNP antibody with a titer of 1:32. Neither anti-DNA antibody nor anti-Sm antibody were detected. Serum C3 and C4 were normal. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contained mononuclear cells of 5/mm3, protein 29 mg/dl and glucose 56 mg/dl. Queckenstedt test was negative. Treatment with prednisolone 60 mg daily was started. On the 8th day of therapy, she complained of a burning sensation in the back, then paraplegia and urinary retention developed. MRI examination showed a high intensity area of the spinal cord at the right Th4 on T2-weighted images. Next day the treatment with 1000-mg intravenous daily pulse of methylprednisolone for 3 days was started, followed by prednisolone 40 mg daily. After this pulse therapy, the CSF contained mononuclear cells of 52/mm3, protein 34 mg/dl, glucose 67 mg/dl and IgG 7.6 mg/dl. Her neurological manifestation gradually improved and at six weeks after the pulse therapy neurological examination revealed no abnormality except for painful tonic spasm. Prednisolone was slowly tapered to 15 mg daily.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[A case of transverse myelopathy caused by acupuncture].

A 54-year-old man received insertion of an acupuncture needle into the region extending from the posterior neck to the back on two occasions for the treatment of shoulder stiffness. Two weeks after the second acupuncture, he developed fever, dysarthria and mictionary disturbance, finally reaching the condition of tetraplegia. He was immediately admitted to an emergency room in our hospital, and was diagnosed as sepsis with DIC, ARDS, heart failure, renal failure, liver failure, and myelitis. After one month, he recovered with transverse myelopathy as a residual deficit. Neurological findings showed transverse myelopathy below the level of Th2 at that time. Cervical CT revealed an irregular low density at the periphery of the cervical vertebra from the C2 to C4 level. Cervical MRI revealed an irregular swelling of his spinal cord from the C2 to C7 level. We explained the mechanism of transverse myelopathy in this case as follows. After the acupuncture, he suffered a focal infection of the region of needle insertion, and then the infection expanded to the cervical vertebra, thus causing osteomyelitis, sepsis, and finally cervical myelitis. Direct injury of the spinal cord and nerve roots as a complication of acupuncture was previously reported, but indirect injury of the spinal cord due to myelitis had not been reported except our present case. Careful attentions should be paid to the complications of acupuncture.