BACKGROUND Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the CNS. There have been few epidemiologic studies on NMO, none in Portugal. OBJECTIVE To analyze the clinical, biological and MRI characteristics from a cohort of Portuguese patients who fulfilled the Wingerchuk 2006 NMO/NMOSD criteria. To identify and characterize those who had concomitant autoimmune disease o...

Background and objectives. Eugène Devic (1858-1930) made medical and neurological history in 1894 when he described neuromyelitis optica (NMO). This article describes how the concept of this disease has evolved over the centuries since being described by the well-known doctor from Lyon. Methods. To describe the history of NMO, we performed a literature search in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Googl...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare disease, common in white females and rarely reported in Hispanic males. It is usually associated with recurrent demyelinating spectrum that is autoimmune in nature. The diagnosis is usually confirmed by antibody biomarkers; however, they can be negative and lead to more dilemma in diagnosis. Furthermore, the course of disease and prognosis are different in s...

PATIENTS AND METHODS This is a cross sectional study comparing the retinal features of optic neuritis (ON) between 20 multiple sclerosis (MS) and 16 neuromyelitis optica (NMO) patients with a history of ON (visual acuity at time of attack >20/100) matched for age and gender using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fundoscopy. RESULTS Compared with MS, NMO patients often had: (1) vascular ...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease preferentially targeting the optic nerves and spinal cord. Once regarded as a variant of multiple sclerosis (MS), NMO is now recognized to be a different disease with unique pathology and immunopathogenesis that does not respond to traditional MS immunomodulators such as interferons. Preventive therapy in NMO has focused on a ran...

     Neuromyelitis optica (also known as Devic's disease or Devic's syndrome) is an uncommon disorder in pediatric age group, and is characterized by acute or subacute optic neuritis and transverse myelitis. Here we report an 11- year- old female child with relapsing Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) confirmed by positive NMO- IgG antibody and had clinical recovery with high dose methyl prednisolone t...

AIM To determine the thickness of the retinal ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO). METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study that included 30 NMO patients with a total of 60 eyes. Based on the presence or absence of optic neuritis (ON), subjects were divided into either the NMO-ON group (30 eyes) o...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) was first described as a severe monophasic syndrome of acute bilateral optic neuritis and transverse myelitis. Whether it is a form of multiple sclerosis (MS) or a separate disease entity has been continually debated since the beginning of last century. The redefinition of NMO as a relapsing disease, the wider use of magnetic resonance imaging showing longer spinal co...

BACKGROUND Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory disease with combined features of optic neuritis and myelitis. This pathologic entity may induce severe disability, including visual loss and paraplegia. Other than clinical follow-up, there is no marker for severity of the disease. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in NMO and to determine whether this...

BACKGROUND Differences in cytokine/chemokine profiles among patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and primary progressive MS (PPMS), and the relationships of these profiles with clinical and neuroimaging features are unclear. A greater understanding of these profiles may help in differential diagnosis. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We measured 2...