Living with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) often feels like I’ve been dropped into a lifelong board game tournament without warning, training, or even a rule book. I’ll be 45 next week, that age where life itself becomes a complicated mix of caregiving, worrying about aging parents, supporting friends…
diagnosis
An international team of researchers identified a self-reactive antibody that may explain cases of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD)-like disease that test negative for known NMOSD-causing antibodies. Self-reactive antibodies against the protein modulator VRAC current 1 (MLC1) were identified in multiple people with NMOSD-like disease who lacked known disease-causing…
For a rare group of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients who test negative for two self-reactive antibodies, being older than 32 at disease onset may increase the risk of relapses, a study found. In contrast, spinal cord involvement, with or without optic nerve inflammation, at disease onset was…
Measuring the blood levels of natural killer (NK) cells, a type of immune cell, may serve as a diagnostic biomarker for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a study showed. Blood tests consistently showed significantly lower NK cell proportions and counts in NMOSD patients than in healthy individuals and in…
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…
Why does it seem like every Google search I do regarding my health blames my weakened immune system for whatever is happening on a particular day? Take, for example, one simple question I innocently asked: “Why are my feet so dry?” Suddenly, I was knee-deep in results suggesting I was…
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…
People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) have significantly higher levels of chitotriosidase-1 (CHIT1), a protein involved in immune and inflammatory responses, in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, a study shows. CSF CHIT1 levels were also significantly associated with NMOSD activity and severity.
People testing negative for self-reactive antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4-IgGs) — the type of antibody most commonly linked to neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) — rarely become positive for these antibodies on subsequent tests. These are the findings of a real-world study in the U.S. involving 451 people suspected of…
One of my greatest fears has come to fruition. Last week, my daughter was diagnosed with vitiligo, a disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack skin cells that produce melanin, causing the skin to lose its color. Upon hearing the diagnosis, I felt the air leave my lungs,…
Recent Posts
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