What is Baló disease

Baló’s concentric sclerosis (BCS) is a rare disorder usually considered a variant of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, its correlation with MS remains unclear and controversial.  Balo’s disease is a demyelinating (damage to the nerve sheath) disorder of the central nervous system in which the myelin (the fatty substance covering nerve fibers) is damaged.  It is characterized by a severe, rapidly evolving clinical course, and by unusual nervous system changes.  Often large tumor-like plaques (lesions) that are found to destroy the sheath of the nerve are present. Studies indicate that autoimmune factors may play a role in its development. Autoimmune disorders are caused when the body’s natural defenses against “foreign” or invading organisms begin to attack healthy tissue for unknown reasons resulting in inflammation (swelling).  Balo’s disease appears to be most common in Asians and in people from the Philippines; it affects males and females with similar frequency. Balo’s disease usually appears in adulthood but childhood cases have been reported.