The epidemiology of transverse myelitis

Transverse myelitis is a neurological disorder causing acute spinal cord injury as a result of acute inflammation, often associated with para infectious processes and autoimmune disease. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on the geoepidemiology of transverse myelitis and assess its environmental associations. Articles from 1981 to 2009 were reviewed in Pub Med along with potential causes such as autoimmune disease (focusing on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), and Sjogren's), infection, vaccination, and intoxication.