News

NORD’s Caregiver Respite Program Continues Through Pandemic

Caring for a loved one with a rare disease, especially during these uncertain times, demands significant time, attention, patience, and dedication. To help meet that need, the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)’s Rare Caregiver Respite Program may be a helpful resource. The program seeks to give a…

Dysphagia May Be Sign of Brain Damage in NMOSD and MOGAD Patients

People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) with difficulty swallowing are more likely to have clinical signs of brain involvement and more extensive disability, a small study suggests. Measures of a patient’s difficulty with swallowing could be used to indirectly assess brain involvement in NMOSD and the related disorder…

Relapses Can Obscure Quality-of-life Ratings in Trials

Experiencing disease relapses after receiving a placebo in a clinical trial may change the perception of health in participants with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and lead to an underestimation of the disease’s impact on quality of life, a study shows. This effect — known as “response shift” —…