Andrea Lobo,  —

Children with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who live in disadvantaged socioeconomic neighborhoods are more likely to have more severe disease-related disabilities, a study in the U.S. indicates. Two years after a diagnosis, Black pediatric patients had significantly more severe disability, as assessed with the standard Expanded Disability Status…

Maintenance treatment with rituximab significantly reduced the number of relapses per year in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and it remained effective after patients experienced relapses, according to a study from China. Relapses more frequently occurred within the first year after rituximab initiation, and their frequency decreased…

Age at disease onset and sex ratio — the ratio of males to females — among people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) are influenced by the proportion of cases with antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4). That’s according to a review study from an international team of researchers that sheds…

A severe attack or a higher annual relapse rate before starting azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was associated with a poor response in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a small study shows. An unsatisfactory response to either treatment, defined as a severe relapse or two or more…

Problems in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulates involuntary bodily processes such as heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion, are very frequent among people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a study has shown. All 80 NMOSD patients in the study experienced ANS-related symptoms, and a greater burden…

Brain and spinal cord lesions resolve less often in children with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) than with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD), a related disorder, according to a small study. No significant differences in resolving lesions were seen between children with NMOSD and those with multiple…

Familial clustering of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) — having more cases within families than what would be expected — is more common than originally thought. That’s according to a new study whose findings highlight a complex genetic predisposition to the progressive autoimmune disease. Certain DNA variants were shared…

A global Phase 4 clinical trial of Enspryng (satralizumab), approved to treat the most common form of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), is enrolling newly diagnosed and other patients who could not or did not take part in Phase 3 trials of the therapy. In addition to people new…

More than a third of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) show cognitive impairment, particularly in visual processing speed and verbal domains, according to a large study in Germany. This cognitive impairment was independent of disease duration and remained constant over two years of follow-up. It also did…

People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) have a significantly higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an immune cell-based marker of inflammation, than healthy people, a review study showed. A higher NLR ratio was also significantly associated with a greater chance of relapse, severe disability, and new or enlarging lesions on…