Jameelah Saeedi
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Saudi Arabia
Title: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders: Clinical overview
Biography
Biography: Jameelah Saeedi
Abstract
Neuromyeltis optica (NMO) also known as Devic's disease is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Immune cells and auto-antibodies primarily attack optic nerves and spinal cord. NMO and multiple sclerosis (MS) are distinct diseases with some similar clinical and radiological features. In 2004, anti-AQP4 antibodies (NMO-IgG) was first reported to be associated with the disease, Since this discovery, the disease spectrum has significantly widened. Patients without the typical spinal cord and optic nerve manifestations have also been diagnosed with NMO. In 2015, new diagnostic criteria were published defining anti-AQP4 positive and negative disease with a new unified term, NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD) to describe the disease. Although majority of NMO patients are positive for serum AQP-4 antibodies, some can exhibit negative results despite using the most sensitive available technique. The others might have antibodies targeting myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). In my presentation, I will discuss the new diagnostic criteria for NMO, the differences between anti-MOG NMO and anti–AQP-4 NMO, the radiological features of the disease, as well as some practical points in the diagnosis and management of the disease. I will also present real cases that I have encountered during my clinical practice