Out of four markers of nervous system cell injury, blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) were found to best predict disability worsening in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a study showed. Measures of blood NfL levels at the time of an NMOSD attack were the only ones…
In a racially diverse group of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), rituximab worked better to prevent relapses than did oral immunosuppressive therapies, a single-center U.S. study showed. This result was particularly relevant for Black patients — who are usually underrepresented in NMOSD clinical trials but who, the…
Plasma exchange, a blood-cleaning procedure, is safe and helps to ease symptoms in elderly people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), despite the presence of other health conditions. That finding is from a Chinese study that assessed the safety and efficacy of plasma exchange in elderly NMOSD patients (older…
SPHERES, a real-world registry designed to better understand neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) — its underlying mechanisms, clinical course, and treatment effects — has reached a milestone of 200 enrolled patients. Standing for Synergy of Prospective Health & Experimental Research for Emerging Solutions in NMOSD, the SPHERES…
People who are younger at the onset of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and those with multiple organ involvement at the first attack by the disease have a higher risk of relapse during treatment with traditional immunosuppressants, a study showed. A reduction in the levels of antibodies against…
A rare case of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in a patient positive for antibodies against both aquaporin-4 (AQP4) protein and the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) was successfully treated with ofatumumab, a B-cell depleting medication approved for multiple sclerosis (MS), a case study reported. According to its researchers, this case represents…
Ofatumumab, a medication approved for multiple sclerosis (MS), effectively prevented relapses and disability progression in a 67-year old woman with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who failed to respond to rituximab, a Chinese case report described. Both ofatumumab and rituximab — often used off-label in NMOSD — promote the…
Being positive for or showing high levels of antibodies against the aquaporin-4 (AQP4) protein at diagnosis doesn’t predict worse outcomes for people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to a small study. Plasma exchange therapy was linked with a trend for slower disability progression, although it wasn’t…
A low dose of rituximab — infused at 100 mg weekly for three consecutive weeks — was effective at preventing relapses and disability progression in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to a meta-analysis of five different regimens. Moreover, treatment with rituximab at this low…
Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may trigger neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a case report suggests. The report, “Antibody‐Positive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder After Second COVID‐19 Vaccination: a Case Report,” was published in the journal SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine. Recommended…
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