Comorbidities

Testing positive for self-reactive antibodies causing both neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD) — two related autoimmune disorders — is extremely rare, but it appears to manifest more as NMOSD, a study in India suggests. So-called double positivity was found in three of…

My obsession with clean teeth started long before my neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) diagnosis. As a child, I had more than my share of visits to the dentist — enough that as an adult, I’d do anything to avoid going. Unfortunately, I had braces as a child…

Tumor removal and immunosuppressive treatment can resolve neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) likely associated with different types of cancer positive for aquaporin 4 (AQP4) protein, according to data from three cases in China. Only two patients showed consistently high blood levels of antibodies against AQP4 (AQP4-IgG) — the most…

People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who are diagnosed with at least one non-immune system comorbidity, or simultaneous disease, are at a higher risk of vision loss and paralysis than those without such conditions, a study found. NMOSD patients with these comorbidities also were significantly more likely to…

Researchers have identified a rare case of co-existing neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and subacute combined degeneration (SCD) — two distinct disorders marked by nerve damage in the brain or spinal cord. The case highlights the possibility that NMOSD may be the underlying driver of the vitamin B12 deficiency…

Patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) or multiple sclerosis (MS), another disease that damages the protective myelin sheaths around nerve cells, are at higher risk than healthy individuals of also developing Parkinson’s disease (PD), a South Korean study found. The study, “Risk of Parkinson’s disease…

About a third of adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) have cognitive impairments, affecting mostly visual learning and memory, according to a small Spanish study. Mood, fatigue, and satisfaction with life were among the contributing factors to cognitive impairment. According to the researchers, cognitive…

Constipation may be linked with pain due to nerve cell damage in people diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and the related disorder myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD), a study suggests. “Both symptoms were significantly more common among patients with a history of myelitis,” the researchers wrote of constipation…

People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) experience a high prevalence of co-existing conditions, or comorbidities, which are associated with much higher healthcare costs, a claims analysis demonstrated. In particular, pharmacy costs for NMOSD patients with any comorbidity were “significantly higher” than for those with no co-existing conditions: a…

When I think back over the years I’ve lived with my rare disease, neuromyelitis optica (NMO), and several comorbidities, including the times I received my life-changing diagnoses, one thing in particular stands out: Not once…