The first Japanese report on neuromyelitis optica rediscovered: acute bilateral blindness, tetraparesis and respiratory insufficiency in a 35-year-old man (1891)

The term ‘neuromyelitis optica’ (NMO, Devic syndrome) is used to refer to a syndrome characterized by optic neuritis and myelitis. For many decades NMO was classified as a clinical variant of multiple sclerosis (MS). Recent research has shown, however, that NMO differs from MS in terms of immunopathogene sis, clinical presentation, and optimum treatment. In most cases, NMO is caused by autoantibodies to aquaporin-4 or myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein. While the history of classic MS has been studied extensively, only relatively little is known about the early history of NMO.
Source: Journal of the Neurological Sciences - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Clinical short communication Source Type: research