Which laboratory finding is expected in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)?

Which laboratory finding is expected in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)?

• A. Increased cytokines
• B. Decreased platelets
• C. Low blood glucose
• D. Normal C-reactive protein

Answer: (A)

ADEM is an immune-mediated inflammatory demyelinating event in the CNS that often follows infection or vaccination. In the acute phase, immune activation drives release of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukins and TNF-alpha both in the CNS and systemically. That inflammatory milieu is what you’d expect to see reflected in laboratory studies as increased cytokine levels. The other options don’t fit the typical pattern: platelet counts aren’t characteristically decreased in ADEM, glucose regulation isn’t a feature of this CNS-focused process, and CRP can be variable and is not a defining marker of the CNS-directed inflammation seen in ADEM. The presence of elevated cytokines best captures the active inflammatory process underlying ADEM.

ADEM is an immune-mediated inflammatory demyelinating event in the CNS that often follows infection or vaccination. In the acute phase, immune activation drives release of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukins and TNF-alpha both in the CNS and systemically. That inflammatory milieu is what you’d expect to see reflected in laboratory studies as increased cytokine levels.

The other options don’t fit the typical pattern: platelet counts aren’t characteristically decreased in ADEM, glucose regulation isn’t a feature of this CNS-focused process, and CRP can be variable and is not a defining marker of the CNS-directed inflammation seen in ADEM. The presence of elevated cytokines best captures the active inflammatory process underlying ADEM.