Immunoadsorption in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroimmunology
• Neurology
• Autoimmune Disorders

Background:

• Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a CNS neuroinflammatory condition targeting optic nerves and spinal cord.
• Aquaporin-4 antibodies (AQP4-ab) are key in NMOSD pathogenesis.
• Current treatments include immunosuppression and plasma exchange (PLEX); data on immunoadsorption (IA) alone is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of immunoadsorption (IA) as a standalone therapy for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) relapses.
• To assess IA's impact on clinical symptoms, visual acuity, and visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in NMOSD patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 10 NMOSD patients treated with IA during relapses at a single center.
• Evaluation of visual evoked potentials (VEPs), visual acuity, and symptom changes post-IA treatment.

Main Results:

• All patients demonstrated symptom improvement following IA therapy.
• Three patients experienced enhanced visual acuity, three remained stable, and five showed improved VEPs.
• IA treatment led to overall amelioration of admission symptoms in the studied NMOSD cohort.

Conclusions:

• In this cohort, immunoadsorption (IA) is a viable therapeutic option for NMOSD relapses, comparable to plasma exchange (PLEX).
• Further investigation in larger patient cohorts is recommended to confirm IA's efficacy in NMOSD management.