Aquaporinopathy- A study of clinical, laboratory, MRI and outcome profile

Neuromyelitis optica(NMO) (also known as Devics disease) is an idiopathic, severe, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that preferentially affects the optic nerve and spinal cord. The presence of highly specific serum autoantibody marker (NMO IgG) further differentiates NMO from multiple sclerosis and has helped to define a neuromyelitis optica spectrum of disorders. Clinical studies in India have consistently reported high incidence of optic nerve and spinal cord involvement in patients diagnosed to have multiple sclerosis (MS). Though speculated, it is not clear whether the NMO spectrums of disorders are responsible for this site specificity. We retrospectively studied 7 patients with NMO-IgG positivity with complete work up.We compared our data with the most recent studies on NMO and with the criteria proposed by Wingerchuck et al. Neurology 66(2006) 1485. Seven patients (6 women and one man, with a mean age of 26.28 years) were included in the study. We found good clinical outcome in patients with NMO spectrum disorders. There is a good response to immunosuppressive therapy to our patients. Furthermore, all NMO patients should be investigated forvasculitis, even those with no history of systemic disease.