Neuromyelitis optica (NMO)is one of the demylinating diseases affecting mainly the optic nerves and spinal cord. The disease is distinguished from other demyelinating conditions by the presence of NMO IgG and serum AQP4, which is expressed as AQP4 gene and found mainly in the blood brain barriers of the brain and spinal cord.
This descriptive study was conducted in the period from January2015 to June 2018 at the NCNS in Khartoum, Sudan. The clinical diagnosis was based on Dean Wingerchuk diagnostic criteria (2006). Furthermore,NMO IgG and serum AQP4 was obtained from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum. Samples were analyzed by immunofluorecent. The data was collected by pre-designed questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 17.Pvalue<0.05 considered to be statistically significant.
A total of 31 patients were enrolled in this study. Six (19.4%) were males and 25 (80.6%) were females. The mean age was 38 ±12.8 years. Motor and visual difficulties were the first symptoms in 21 (67.7%) and 10 (32.3%) of the patients. Fundoscopy confirmed optic atrophy in 22 (71.0%) patients. One relapse was reported in 21 patients (67.7%). NMOIgG and serum AQP4 were seropositive in 23 patients (79.31%).
Longitudinal myelitis was observed more frequently than optic neuritis in this study group. More than two thirds of the patients showed strong seropositivity for serum AQP4.
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© 2019 Published by Elsevier Inc.
