Assessment of serum FAM19A5 level in patients with Neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disorder

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is currently classified as a principal astrocytopathy accompanied by secondary demyelination . The neuroinflammatory protein FAM19A5 is released by reactive astrocytes following CNS injury. However, data on its role in NMOSD are limited.

This study aimed to evaluate serum levels of FAM19A5 in patients with NMOSD compared to healthy controls .

A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted on 50 NMOSD patients and 40 healthy controls at the Neurology Department, Assiut University Hospitals, Egypt,over a two-year period. Serum aquaporin-4 IgG (AQP4-IgG) antibodies were assessed using a cell-based immunofluorescence assay. Serum FAM19A5 levels were measured using the Human TAFA-5 ELISA kit. Clinical and radiological data from studied sample were collected and analyzed.

Serum FAM19A5 levels were significantly elevated in NMOSD patients compared to healthy controls (median 673.95 ng/L vs. 355.25 ng/L, p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis demonstrated that FAM19A5 had good diagnostic performance in distinguishing NMOSD patients from healthy controls, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.836, a sensitivity of 64.0%, and a specificity of 97.5% at a cutoff value >600 ng/L.

Serum FAM19A5 levels are significantly elevated in patients with NMOSD compared to healthy individuals, suggesting its potential utility as a diagnostic biomarker of NMOSD.