Clinical features of children with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and related recurrence factors

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical features of children with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) and related recurrence factors. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data and prognosis of 73 children with ADEM who were hospitalized from November 2011 to January 2017. RESULTS: Among the 73 children, 41 (56%) had a history of infection before onset and 7 (10%) had a history of vaccination. All children had the symptoms of encephalopathy, including disturbance of consciousness in 47 children (64%) and mental and behavioral disorders in 54 children (74%). Pyrexia was observed in 53 children (73%), dyskinesia in 47 children (64%), headache in 47 children (64%) and vomiting in 40 children (55%). Brain MRI was performed for 65 children and the results showed involvement of the subcortical white matter (83%, 54/65), the deep nuclei (60%, 39/65), the brain stem (58%, 38/65) and the cerebellum (42%, 27/65). Spinal cord involvement was observed in 20 children (20/43, 47%). A total of 15 children experienced recurrence during follow-up. Compared with the non-recurrence group, the recurrence group had significantly higher percentages of children with deep nucleus involvement (P 2 weeks (P 2 weeks) may be associated with the recurrence of ADEM.