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Alqwaifly M, Althobaiti AH, AlAibani NS, Banjar RZ, Alayed RS, Alsubaie SM, Alrashed AT. Patterns of Adult Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder Patients Compared to Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cureus 2023; 15:e47565. [PMID: 38021935 PMCID: PMC10666196 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.47565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs) are central nervous system inflammatory conditions, now recognized to involve the brain, often identified by aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies. We aimed to summarize the characteristics of adult NMOSD patients compared to multiple sclerosis (MS). A computerized search was conducted on MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science, and ProQuest using the relevant keywords. Three independent reviewers performed two-stage screening and data extraction. The Review Manager 5.4 program (Cochrane Collaboration, Windows, London, UK) was used for the analysis. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JIB) tool was used for the quality of included studies. Twenty-three articles were included. NMOSD patients were associated with older age at presentation and higher Expanded Disability Status Scale (MD = 3.88, 95% CI: 1.80 to 5.97, P = 0.0003) and (MD = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.58 to 1.72, P < 0.0001), respectively. The risk of NMOSD in females was significantly higher than MS (OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.41 to 3.46, P = 0.0005). Patients with NMOSD were associated with a lower risk of extrapyramidal symptoms (OR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.60, P < 0.01), brainstem involvement symptoms (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.64, P < 0.01), and developing brain lesions compared to MS (OR = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.18, P < 0.00001). The current evidence suggests that both NMOSD and MS have different demographic, clinical, and lesion characteristics. There is a need for additional validation of the identified differences compared with MS due to the lack of long-term systematic imaging investigations in NMOSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Alqwaifly
- Department of Medicine, Unaizah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, SAU
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Xue H, Yang W, Zhao Y, Wang L, Wang G, Zhang M, Zhang H. Pain in neuromyelitis optic spectrum disorder. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2022; 68:104192. [PMID: 36244188 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.104192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pain is a common symptom of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), but there are relatively few studies on NMOSD pain. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 145 patients with NMOSD admitted to our hospital between July 2016 and June 2019. RESULTS The clinical characteristics of pain and factors related to NMOSD were analyzed, revealing that the incidence of pain in NMOSD is high and can be used for disease localization. CONCLUSION Different types of pain occur at different stages of the disease, and serum aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-ab) positivity is an independent risk factor for NMOSD pain. Hormones and biological immune agents may also be effective in some cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiru Xue
- First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China
| | - Wen Yang
- First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China
| | - Yunfei Zhao
- First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China
| | - Li Wang
- First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China
| | - Guilian Wang
- First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China
| | - Meini Zhang
- First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China.
| | - Hui Zhang
- First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China.
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Ladakis DC, Gould J, Khazen JM, Lefelar JM, Tarpey S, Bies CJ, Salky R, Fitzgerald KC, Bhargava P, Nourbakhsh B, Sotirchos ES. Fatigue is a common symptom in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease. Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin 2022; 8:20552173221131235. [DOI: 10.1177/20552173221131235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Unlike multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica, the burden of fatigue in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is unclear. Objective To compare fatigue levels between people with MOGAD and household controls (HC) and explore factors associated with fatigue severity. Methods In a cross-sectional survey, data were collected from people with MOGAD and HC by utilizing an online questionnaire. Data elements included demographics, sleep quality measures, comorbidities, MOGAD characteristics, and fatigue severity measured by the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS). We compared fatigue severity between MOGAD participants and HC and assessed the associations between demographic and disease characteristics and fatigue severity. Results There were 180/283 MOGAD and 61/126 HC respondents. Compared to HC, people with MOGAD reported more severe fatigue, as measured by the MFIS total score (49.3 vs. 36.5; p < 0.001), and a larger proportion of MOGAD participants (75.6% vs. 44.3%; p < 0.001) were classified as fatigued. Among MOGAD participants, higher age ( p = 0.04), history of bilateral optic neuritis ( p = 0.02), and current use of acute treatment ( p = 0.04) were independently associated with higher fatigue. Conclusions Fatigue is common in people with MOGAD, and a history of bilateral optic neuritis, comorbid conditions, and ongoing disease activity appear to contribute to fatigue severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios C Ladakis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Rebecca Salky
- The MOG project, Olney, MD, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn C Fitzgerald
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Pavan Bhargava
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bardia Nourbakhsh
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elias S Sotirchos
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Li X, Xu H, Zheng Z, Ouyang H, Chen G, Lou Z, Chen H, Zhang J, Zhan Y, Mao H, Zhang C, Zhao M, Zhao Y. The risk factors of neuropathic pain in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: a retrospective case-cohort study. BMC Neurol 2022; 22:304. [PMID: 35986246 PMCID: PMC9389678 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-022-02841-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neuropathic pain is a common complication in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), which seriously affects the quality of life of NMOSD patients, with no satisfactory treatment. And risk factors of neuropathic pain are still uncertain. Objective To investigate the risk factors of neuropathic pain in a NMOSD cohort. Materials and methods Our study was a retrospective case-cohort study, the patients diagnosed with NMOSD in the Department of Neurology from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from January 2011 to October 2021 were screened. Inclusion criteria were: (1) patients diagnosed as NMOSD according to the International Panel for NMO Diagnosis (IPND) criteria, (2) the aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G antibodies (AQP4-IgG) test was performed. Patients without AQP4-IgG antibody were excluded. Clinical data, including sex, age of the first onset, symptoms of the first episode including neuropathic pain and attack types, localization of lesions of the first episode on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Extended disability status Scale (EDSS) of the first onset, treatment of immunosuppression in the first acute phase, disease modifying therapy (DMT), treatment of neuropathic pain and APQ4-IgG status were collected from the hospital system database. Neuropathic pain was defined according to the International Association for the Study of Pain criteria and was described as “pain arising as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system”. Results One hundred nineteen patients were screened and finally 86 patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in our study. The prevalence of neuropathic pain in patients with NMOSD was 43.0%. Univariate analysis showed that the factors associated with neuropathic pain were the age at the onset, the attack type of optic neuritis, the attack type of myelitis, length of spinal cord involvement, localization of thoracic lesion, optic lesion, upper thoracic lesions, lower thoracic lesions, extended spinal cord lesions (≥ 3 spinal lesions), extended thoracic lesions (≥ 4 thoracic lesions), intravenous immunoglobulin and mycophenolate mofetil. Multivariate regression analysis showed that extended thoracic lesions (OR 20.21 [1.18–346.05], P = 0.038) and age (OR 1.35 (1–1.81) P = 0.050) were independently associated with neuropathic pain among NMOSD patients and that gender (OR 12.11 (0.97–151.64) P = 0.053) might be associated with neuropathic pain among NMOSD patients. Conclusion Extended thoracic lesions (≥ 4 thoracic lesions), age and gender might be independent risk factors of neuropathic pain among patients with NMOSD. However, with a small sample size and predominantly female, caution must be applied and these results need validating in further cohorts.
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Racke MK, Frohman EM, Frohman T. Pain in Multiple Sclerosis: Understanding Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management Through Clinical Vignettes. Front Neurol 2022; 12:799698. [PMID: 35095742 PMCID: PMC8794582 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.799698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropathic pain and other pain syndromes occur in the vast majority of patients with multiple sclerosis at some time during their disease course. Pain can become chronic and paroxysmal. In this review, we will utilize clinical vignettes to describe various pain syndromes associated with multiple sclerosis and their pathophysiology. These syndromes vary from central neuropathic pain or Lhermitte's phenomenon associated with central nervous system lesions to trigeminal neuralgia and optic neuritis pain associated with nerve lesions. Muscular pain can also arise due to spasticity. In addition, we will discuss strategies utilized to help patients manage these symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael K Racke
- Department of Medical Affairs, Quest Diagnostics, Secaucus, NJ, United States
| | - Elliot M Frohman
- Neuroimmunology Laboratory of Lawrence Steinman, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Teresa Frohman
- Neuroimmunology Laboratory of Lawrence Steinman, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
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Abboud H, Salazar-Camelo A, George N, Planchon SM, Matiello M, Mealy MA, Goodman A. Symptomatic and restorative therapies in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders. J Neurol 2021; 269:1786-1801. [PMID: 34482456 PMCID: PMC8940781 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-021-10783-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are a group of autoimmune inflammatory conditions that primarily target the optic nerves, spinal cord, brainstem, and occasionally the cerebrum. NMOSD is characterized by recurrent attacks of visual, motor, and/or sensory dysfunction that often result in severe neurological deficits. In recent years, there has been a significant progress in relapse treatment and prevention but the residual disability per attack remains high. Although symptomatic and restorative research has been limited in NMOSD, some therapeutic approaches can be inferred from published case series and evidence from multiple sclerosis literature. In this review, we will discuss established and emerging therapeutic options for symptomatic treatment and restoration of function in NMOSD. We highlight NMOSD-specific considerations and identify potential areas for future research. The review covers pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, and neuromodulatory approaches to neuropathic pain, tonic spasms, muscle tone abnormalities, sphincter dysfunction, motor and visual impairment, fatigue, sleep disorders, and neuropsychological symptoms. In addition, we briefly discuss remyelinating agents and mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in NMOSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hesham Abboud
- Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Program, Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Center, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, Bolwell, 5th floor, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
| | - Andrea Salazar-Camelo
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Naveen George
- Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Program, Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Center, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, Bolwell, 5th floor, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Sarah M Planchon
- The Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Marcelo Matiello
- Neurology Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maureen A Mealy
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Horizon Therapeutics Plc, Deerfield, IL, USA
| | - Andrew Goodman
- Neuroimmunology Division, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
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Meca-Lallana JE, Maurino J, Pérez-Miralles F, Forero L, Sepúlveda M, Calles C, Martínez-Ginés ML, González-Suárez I, Boyero S, Romero-Pinel L, Sempere ÁP, Meca-Lallana V, Querol L, Costa-Frossard L, Prefasi D, Gómez-Ballesteros R, Ballesteros J. Quantifying the patient´s perspective in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: Psychometric properties of the SymptoMScreen questionnaire. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255317. [PMID: 34324586 PMCID: PMC8320986 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The assessment of self-reported outcomes in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is limited by the lack of validated disease-specific measures. The SymptoMScreen (SyMS) is a patient-reported questionnaire for measuring symptom severity in different domains affected by multiple sclerosis (MS), but has not been thoroughly evaluated in NMOSD. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the SyMS in a sample of patients with NMOSD. Methods A non-interventional, cross-sectional study in adult subjects with NMOSD (Wingerchuk 2015 criteria) was conducted at 13 neuroimmunology clinics applying the SyMS. A non-parametric item response theory procedure, Mokken analysis, was performed to assess the underlying dimensional structure and scalability of items and overall questionnaire. All analyses were performed with R (v4.0.3) using the mokken library. Results A total of 70 patients were studied (mean age: 47.5 ± 15 years, 80% female, mean Expanded Disability Status Scale score: 3.0 [interquartile range 1.5, 4.5]). Symptom severity was low (median SyMS score: 19.0 [interquartile range 10.0, 32.0]). The SyMS showed a robust internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.90 [95% confidence interval 0.86, 0.93]) and behaved as a unidimensional scale with all items showing scalability coefficients > 0.30. The overall SyMS scalability was 0.45 conforming to a medium scale according to Mokken’s criteria. Fatigue and body pain were the domains with the highest scalability coefficients. The SyMS was associated with disability (rho: 0.586), and physical and psychological quality of life (rho: 0.856 and 0.696, respectively). Conclusions The SyMS shows appropriate psychometric characteristics and may constitute a valuable and easy-to-implement option to measure symptom severity in patients with NMOSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- José E. Meca-Lallana
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Neuroimmunology Unit and Multiple Sclerosis CSUR, Hospital Universitario “Virgen de la Arrixaca”, IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jorge Maurino
- Medical Department, Roche Farma, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Francisco Pérez-Miralles
- Department of Neurology, Unit of Neuroimmunology, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - Lucía Forero
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain
| | - María Sepúlveda
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínic i Provincial de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carmen Calles
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari Son Espases, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | | | | | - Sabas Boyero
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Cruces, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Lucía Romero-Pinel
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ángel P. Sempere
- Department of Neurology, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | | | - Luis Querol
- Department of Neurology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Javier Ballesteros
- Department of Neurosciences and CIBERSAM, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
- Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
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Cacciaguerra L, Tortorella P, Rocca MA, Filippi M. Targeting Neuromyelitis Optica Pathogenesis: Results from Randomized Controlled Trials of Biologics. Neurotherapeutics 2021; 18:1623-1636. [PMID: 33909234 PMCID: PMC8608970 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-021-01055-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder pathogenesis have allowed the development of targeted drugs. These treatments act on core elements of the disease, including the pro-inflammatory IL-6 pathway (tocilizumab and satralizumab), B cells (rituximab and inebilizumab), and complement (eculizumab). According to recent phase II-III trials, biologics significantly reduced the risk of relapses in aquaporin-4-seropositive patients, whereas results were less striking in the small cohorts of aquaporin-4-seronegative patients. Most adverse events were mild to moderate, with systemic symptoms (headache, arthralgia) or infections (upper respiratory and urinary tracts) being most commonly reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Cacciaguerra
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Maria A Rocca
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
- Neurophysiology Service, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
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Patient-reported burden of symptoms in neuromyelitis optica: A secondary analysis on pain and quality of life. J Neurol Sci 2021; 428:117546. [PMID: 34252701 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2021.117546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Relapses of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) result in cumulative neurologic disabilities, are unpredictable, and are interspersed with remissions. Pain in NMOSD is often severe and intractable, with a significant impact on patient quality of life (QoL). We performed a more detailed analysis of previously published survey data on the association of pain and QoL, comparing patients who were seropositive and seronegative for antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4-IgG). METHODS We conducted a secondary analysis of questionnaire data from 193 NMOSD patients across North America. The study population was predominantly female (88.6%) and aged 19-76 years. Results were reported for three groups: AQP4-IgG-seropositive (61.1%), AQP4-IgG-seronegative and the total cohort including patients with unknown serostatus. We measured the strength of associations and interactions between pain and variables including QoL, patient satisfaction, frequency of hospital visits, and number of relapses versus other symptoms. RESULTS Pain severity was the strongest negative predictor of QoL. In the total and AQP4-IgG-seropositive groups, pain was the most common symptom that patients wanted their physician to be concerned about; in the AQP4-IgG-seronegative group, this was fatigue. For all patients, frequent hospital visits and relapses were associated with more severe pain, but not frequency of NMOSD specialist visits. Patients without recent relapse still commonly reported moderate or severe pain (>25%). CONCLUSION This study confirms the heavy burden of pain on NMOSD patients and its effect on QoL and healthcare utilization. Prevention or early treatment of relapses and more effective pain management may reduce this burden.
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Akaishi T, Takahashi T, Fujihara K, Misu T, Fujimori J, Takai Y, Nishiyama S, Abe M, Ishii T, Aoki M, Nakashima I. Early Treatment Initiation With Oral Prednisolone for Relapse Prevention Alleviates Depression and Fatigue in Aquaporin-4-Positive Neuromyelitis optica Spectrum Disorder. Front Neurol 2021; 12:608149. [PMID: 33692739 PMCID: PMC7938311 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.608149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background:Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a relapsing autoimmune-related neurological disorder of the central nervous system. Most patients with NMOSD have serum anti-aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G antibodies (AQP4-IgG). In addition to optic neuritis and myelitis, other insidious symptoms such as depressive state and chronic fatigue in NMOSD are gradually being recognized. Methods: To elucidate the impact of low- to medium-dose oral prednisolone (PSL) as a relapse prevention therapy for psychiatric disturbances and chronic fatigue in NMOSD, we evaluated clinical data from 39 patients with AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD, along with the details of present and cumulative oral PSL dosage. Results: Thirty-six of the 39 patients were treated with low- to medium-dose oral PSL, and the mean and standard deviation of the present daily dose of oral PSL were 7.9 ± 4.0 mg/day. None of the patients were treated with a daily PSL dose of >15 mg. As a result, the disease duration and the untreated period before starting oral PSL showed weak to moderate correlations with the subsequent severities of psychiatric disturbance and fatigue level. Meanwhile, none of the other treatment-related variables evaluated, such as the present oral PSL daily dose, cumulative PSL dose, months of oral PSL administration, previous courses of steroid pulse therapy, and coadministered immunosuppressants, were correlated with these insidious symptoms. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the use of long-term low- to medium-dose oral PSL ≤15 mg daily for relapse prevention in AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD would not aggravate the psychiatric and fatigue conditions. On the contrary, early initiation of oral PSL for relapse prevention, together with significantly decreased relapse rate, alleviated the subsequent depressive state and fatigue from the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuya Akaishi
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.,Department of Education and Support for Regional Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Takahashi
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.,Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Yonezawa National Hospital, Yonezawa, Japan
| | - Kazuo Fujihara
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.,Department of Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tatsuro Misu
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Juichi Fujimori
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Takai
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Shuhei Nishiyama
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Michiaki Abe
- Department of Education and Support for Regional Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan
| | - Tadashi Ishii
- Department of Education and Support for Regional Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan
| | - Masashi Aoki
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ichiro Nakashima
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
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