How To Treat Transverse Myelitis

Transverse myelitis is a neurological disorder that causes both sides of part of the spinal cord to become inflamed. In most cases, this causes damage to the myelin, the insulation material that covers the nerve cells. Transverse myelitis causes interruptions between the spinal cord's nerves and the body, so the body doesn't receive messages seamlessly. The symptoms vary depending on the portion of the spinal cord affected. Transverse myelitis patients often experience pain, paralysis, muscle weakness, sensory issues, or dysfunction of the bowels and bladder. There are several treatment options available, most of which focus on rehabilitative therapy and medications. The majority of individuals with transverse myelitis will have at least a partial recovery, although patients with severe attacks might develop permanent disabilities.

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Plasma Exchange Therapy

Plasma exchange therapy is a treatment that helps with the acute symptoms of transverse myelitis. While it's not usually the first recommended treatment, it can be very helpful for patients who don't see results with steroids. There haven't been enough studies to explain why plasma exchange therapy helps, but the main theory is exchanging the plasma helps remove inflammatory antibodies produced by the immune system. Therapeutic plasma exchange, otherwise called plasmapheresis, removes the plasma from a patient's blood and replaces it. Over a period of two to three hours, the patient's blood is removed and the plasma is separated from the red blood cells. A plasma substitute is then added to the red blood cells, and the blood is put back into the patient's body.

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