Neuromyelitis optica in France

Abstract

Our demographic data provide new data on disability in patients with neuromyelitis optica, most of whom were receiving treatment.

Neuromyelitis optica in Portugal (NEMIPORT) – A multicentre study

“…The demographic characteristics of our cohort are similar to those reported in other studies [16,17] namely regarding the female:male ratio (4.6:1), the median age at onset (36.0 years) and the disease course (relapsing-remitting in 71.6%). Interestingly, in our study no patient had a progressive course.…”

“…With respect to spinal cord lesions, the results were also consistent with those of prior studies showing LETM in 52.5% of patients. The percentage of AQP4-IgG positive patients is lower in our study (35.8%; CBA technique) than in the French [16] (54.0%; indirect immunofluorescence assay), the Danish [17] (62.0%; CBA technique), the Hong Kong [18] (88.9%, CBA) and the American multicentre one [19] (68.3%; indirect immunofluorescence assay). However, the total number of patients (namely of the NMOSD group) and the definition of NMOSD (some studies included in this group only patients that were AQP4-IgG seropositive) [18][19][20] must be taken into account.…”

“…In spite of having found a higher percentage of patients with concomitant autoimmune disorders (15 patients, 22.4%) than it was reported in the French [16] (10.4%) and Hong Kong [18] (10.6%) studies, most of the encountered disorders were similar (mainly SLE and Sjogren's syndrome) except for the two cases of myasthenia gravis described in our cohort [13] and also in the Austrian one [20]. Since 66.7% of patients with autoimmune diseases had positive AQP4-IgG antibody, we hypothesize that its presence may be faced as an "autoimmune marker".…”

Immune Mediated Diseases and Immune Modulation in the Neurocritical Care Unit

“…The incidence of NMO is estimated to be approximately 4 per million of the population and the prevalence is somewhere between 3 and 44 per million, depending on ethnicity and geographic location [26][27][28][29]. Disease onset is usually in the fourth decade of life; women are affected more commonly than men (approximately 3:1); and non-Caucasians (especially Japanese) are affected more commonly than Caucasians [29][30][31][32]. Most patients with NMO (60-90%) have autoantibodies directed toward the aquaporin 4 (AQP4) channel, and these antibodies are thought to be pathogenic [29,33].…”

“…The visual loss in NMO tends to be more severe than in MS and can affect both eyes simultaneously or in rapid succession [30,37,38]. Spinal cord involvement is longitudinally extensive (≥3 vertebral segments) in patients with NMO in contrast to the spinal lesions seen in patients with MS, which are much more limited in extent [39].…”