Relapse management

Disability worsening in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is largely driven by relapses, or episodes when new symptoms emerge or existing symptoms worsen, but it may also occur in the absence of such episodes. That’s according to a study analyzing international data from 261 NMOSD patients, which…

People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who smoke have a higher risk of incomplete recovery after disease relapses than those who do not smoke, according to a review of published studies. Smoking did not appear to increase the risk of developing NMOSD or subsequent relapses, however. The relationship…

A short-course of Soliris (eculizumab) treatment during relapses may help people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) recover faster when standard therapies fail, a small study in China suggests. Patients who saw little or no improvement after corticosteroids, with or without plasma exchange, experienced meaningful gains in mobility…

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…

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…

People who develop neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) at 50 years or older are significantly more likely to experience worse recovery from relapses and faster disability progression than those with early-onset disease, a study in Germany showed. These increased risks were seen despite comparable relapse rates, more intensive relapse…

A predictive model based on laboratory and clinical risk factors for relapses in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) was found to accurately discriminate NMOSD patients experiencing a relapse within one year of diagnosis from those without a relapse, a study showed. The identified risk factors were numbers and ratios…

When I felt the familiar heaviness in my body, I bravely faced it. “It’s OK,” I told myself. “I’ve been here before and recovered. I can do this.” As I lay in the hospital bed, a prisoner to the many doctors and specialists who checked on me throughout the day…

Soliris (eculizumab) may help relieve symptoms during severe attacks in the acute phase of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) when other treatments are ineffective, according to a case series study from Japan. The study included five patients who had experienced severe NMOSD attacks that did not respond well…

Having to deal with my sixth major neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) attack is not how I wanted to end 2024 or start the new year. Unfortunately, it’s just my reality. What’s considered an attack? It’s when your symptoms hit a high point. For NMOSD patients, that may…