### What Is Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)? While there are no studies to suggest a definitive causal connection between vaccines and ADEM, many of the studies do associate a causal connection, and there are many instances where the vaccine was the only preceding causal agent to a person’s ADEM diagnosis. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is characterized by a brief but widespread attack of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord that damages myelin – the protective covering of nerve fibers. ADEM often follows viral or bacterial infections, or less often, vaccination for measles, mumps, or rubella. Please contact our Adem vaccine injury lawyers today if you have been injured.

### What are the Symptoms of ADEM? The symptoms of ADEM appear rapidly, beginning with encephalitis-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, nausea and vomiting, and in the most severe cases, seizures and coma. ADEM typically damages white matter (brain tissue that takes its name from the white color of myelin), leading to neurological symptoms such as visual loss (due to inflammation of the optic nerve) in one or both eyes, weakness even to the point of paralysis, and difficulty coordinating voluntary muscle movements (such as those used in walking). ADEM is sometimes misdiagnosed as a severe first attack of multiple sclerosis (MS), since the symptoms and the appearance of the white matter injury on brain imaging may be similar.