plasma exchange

Double-filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP), an advanced blood-cleaning procedure, is equally effective as high-dose corticosteroids for treating acute attacks associated with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), but comes with fewer side effects, according to a new study from China. DFPP selectively removes disease-driving self-reactive antibodies from the bloodstream while retaining…

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” as they say. Along those lines, my first experience with plasmapheresis for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) was both intense and helpful. In May, I suffered an optic neuritis attack in my left eye. After five days of intravenous…

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…

Undergoing plasma exchange, a blood-cleaning procedure, within 10 days after a relapse of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) may help ease symptoms in children positive for antibodies against AQP4 and who do not respond well to corticosteroids. That’s according to a small study that assessed the safety and efficacy…

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may trigger neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a case report suggests. The report, “Antibody‐Positive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder After Second COVID‐19 Vaccination: a Case Report,” was published in the journal SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine. Recommended…

When I was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), and five years later, properly diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), I was told that a hallmark symptom of each disease was optic neuritis. This occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the optic nerve, causing inflammation, which can lead to…