There are several forms of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease including, classic, connatal, transitional, and adult variants.

CS Type II, otherwise known as connatal CS, involves very little neurological development after birth.

The prognosis for those with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease is highly variable, with children with the most severe form (so-called connatal) usually not surviving to adolescence, but survival into the sixth or even seventh decades is possible, especially with attentive care.