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…
News
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…
A U.S.-based registry of adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) shows that most patients are receiving biologic therapies, either approved or not approved for NMOSD, in real-world care, according to a study of its first 350 participants. The registry, called SPHERES, has enrolled about half of…
People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who are negative for typical disease-driving antibodies show several differences in clinical features compared with antibody-positive NMOSD patients, but responses to conventional treatments seem largely comparable, according to a new study. “Our findings support the utility of conventional [immune-suppressing treatments] in this…
Enspryng (satralizumab) is superior to conventional immunosuppressive therapies in reducing the risk of relapses in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) for up to three years, and with a comparable safety profile, according to a real-world study. Similar results were obtained when analyzing data only from NMOSD…
Recent Posts
- Brain, nerve damage link to relapse, disability in AQP4-related NMOSD
- With NMOSD, my to-do lists now include staying well, as well as staying busy
- Advocates join forces to create, celebrate World NMOSD Awareness Day
- With a compromised immune system, constant infections are my nemesis
- Approved NMOSD therapies better than rituximab at preventing relapses