A vision test using a 2.5%-contrast letter chart is more effective than the conventional 100%-contrast chart at detecting previous episodes of optic neuritis, an eye condition that is often the first symptom of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a study shows. Results, drawn from responses in unaffected people and those…
symptoms
In summer 2014, 22-year-old Connor Judge was working as a landscaper when he experienced unusual pain in his legs and back. At first, the symptoms were presumed to be related to his landscaping work; visits to a few general practitioners were unremarkable. Then, on Aug. 29,…
The autoimmune biomarker CH50 was directly impacted by treatment with Soliris (eculizumab) in three people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a case report has shown. According to researchers, this suggests that CH50 may be a useful…
People with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) with difficulty swallowing are more likely to have clinical signs of brain involvement and more extensive disability, a small study suggests. Measures of a patient’s difficulty with swallowing could be used to indirectly assess brain involvement in NMOSD and the related disorder…
I can trace my first neuromyelitis optica (NMO) symptoms to when I was 12 years old. I’d be walking down a flight of stairs, and for a split second it was as if a switch had been thrown, cutting off communication between my brain and my legs, and I’d fall…
Experiencing disease relapses after receiving a placebo in a clinical trial may change the perception of health in participants with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and lead to an underestimation of the disease’s impact on quality of life, a study shows. This effect — known as “response shift” —…
I was born and raised in Cuba, playing outside, running, and enjoying my friends. In my healthy teen years, I didn’t think I’d ever become chronically sick, much less stop walking. However, everything changed when I watched a movie about a boy named Lorenzo who suffers from a degenerative…