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Neuroimmunology

Towards more-accurate diagnosis in neuromyelitis optica

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 10, pages 679–681 (2014)Cite this article

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Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) can mimic multiple sclerosis (MS). Avoiding misdiagnosis is crucial, because some disease-modifying drugs for MS can aggravate NMOSD, causing blindness and paraplegia. A recent study reports that misdiagnosis of NMOSD as MS occasionally occurs, and that a two-step antibody assay could improve differential diagnosis.

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Acknowledgements

K.F. has received funding from the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research form the Ministry of Education, Science and Techonology and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan. J.P. acknowledges highly specialized funding from NHS England to run a national NMO service.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Aobaku, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan

    Kazuo Fujihara

  2. Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK

    Jacqueline Palace

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  1. Kazuo Fujihara
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  2. Jacqueline Palace
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Correspondence to Kazuo Fujihara.

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Competing interests

K.F. serves on scientific advisory boards for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Merck Serono, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Nihon Pharmaceutical, Novartis Pharma and Ono Pharmaceutical. He has received travel funding and speaker honoraria from Asahi Kasei Medical Co., Astellas Pharma Inc., Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, Cosmic Corporation (a distributer of ELISA to detect aquaporin AQP4-IgG in Japan), Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai Inc., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Novartis Pharma and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd; and research funding from Asahi Kasei Medical Co., Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec Japan, Eisai Inc., Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Teva Pharmaceutical K.K., Teijin Pharma, and The Chemo-Sero-Therapeutic Research Institute. J.P. has received conference funding for scientific meetings and honoraria for advisory work from Bayer Schering, Biogen Idec, Chugai Pharma, Merck Serono, Novartis, Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd and Teva. She has received unrestricted research grants from Bayer Schering, Biogen Idec, Merck Serono and Novartis.

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Fujihara, K., Palace, J. Towards more-accurate diagnosis in neuromyelitis optica. Nat Rev Neurol 10, 679–681 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2014.216

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