News

Treatment with Enspryng (satralizumab) for more than two years was shown to prevent relapses in most people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in Japan. That’s according to a new study that tracked outcomes from Japanese NMOSD patients given the approved injection therapy in real-world practice. “Overall, most…

Depletion of sex hormone production by surgical removal of the ovaries significantly lessened activation of microglia — the brain’s immune cells —as well as neuroinflammation and nerve cell damage in female mice with induced neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD)-like disease, a study shows. Similar effects were found in castrated…

In 2018, when Nell Choi was 9 years old, she began experiencing symptoms that led to hospitalization and a diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), type positive. A month later, when Nell came home, she was weak, in a wheelchair, and had lost 20 pounds. To…

Specific nerve damage and shrinkage in key brain regions are associated with a faster time to relapse and worsening disability among adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who test positive for antibodies against the AQP4 protein, according to a study in Italy. Researchers used advanced MRI techniques to…

March is NMOSD Awareness Month, and advocates around the world are working to educate others and raise the profile of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), also known as neuromyelitis optica or, simply, NMO. A major international initiative this year is to name March 27 as World NMOSD Awareness Day.

Therapies specifically approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) are superior to rituximab and other off-label medications at preventing relapses and serious side effects, according to a real-world study in the U.S. The study also showed that among FDA-approved therapies, the…

Nearly a third of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) may have cognitive impairment, especially in the areas of attention/processing speed and executive function, according to a study in Brazil. Processing speed refers to a person’s ability to receive, interpret, and respond to information, while executive function refers…

Add-on hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which involves breathing pure oxygen at high pressure, may help reduce inflammation in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), especially those with more overactive immune systems, a small study suggests. “HBOT may help rebalance the immune system in NMOSD,” researchers wrote, noting that…

A specific set of immune-related genes is significantly more active in the blood of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), potentially offering a new diagnostic approach for the rare disease. A study in Iran found that seven genes involved in a major inflammatory pathway, called nuclear factor kappa…

Soliris (eculizumab) is linked to a reduced relapse rate and stabilization of disability progression in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who test positive for anti-AQP4 antibodies, according to a real-world study in Turkey. “These results support [Soliris] as a valuable therapy for [AQP4-related] NMOSD, while stressing the…