risk factors

People who develop neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) later in life may go on to experience worse outcomes than those who have early-onset disease, a study in China has found. Worse outcomes included a higher frequency of inflammation of the thoracic spinal cord during relapses, more brain lesions and…

The onset of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) at an older age is linked with a greater likelihood of spinal cord involvement at the first disease attack, fewer relapses, and greater disability, according to a study in China. “Age of disease onset correlates with clinical characteristics and prognostic outcomes…

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…

Women are more likely to have neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) symptoms, or a rebound of symptoms, within three months after delivering a baby, a Chinese study found. Women who didn’t receive immunotherapy during pregnancy and the postpartum period were more than five times as likely to have…

A 67-year-old man developed a rare case of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) after his third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, a study reports. A review of published literature showed this case adds to 15 other reported cases of post-COVID-19 vaccination NMOSD onset, which appear to show similar clinical…

Certain variations in the ESR1 gene — a protein-coding gene for estrogen receptor-alpha — are significantly more common among women with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) or multiple sclerosis (MS) than among healthy women, a small study suggests. Such differences were not observed between men with these…

Older age, diagnostic delays, and a greater disability at diagnosis were associated with a higher risk of developing permanent disability for people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) at a center in Mexico. “This information is required to design healthcare strategies to recognize and treat patients with NMOSD early…

Age, sex, and spinal lesions may be risk factors for developing pain due to nerve damage — called neuropathic pain — in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to a new study. Specifically, an older age at disease onset, female sex, and a greater number of lesions…

Women with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who received immunosuppressive treatment during pregnancy or were at least 32 years old when they conceived may be at a lower risk of pregnancy-associated relapses, a systematic review study has found. Data also showed the risk of relapse is highest in the…

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…