Citations

Every neurologist will be familiar with the patient with atypical spinal cord disease and the challenges of taking the diagnosis forward. This is predominantly because of the limited range of possible clinical and investigation findings making most individual features non-specific. The difficulty in obtaining a tissue diagnosis further contributes and patients are often treated empirically based on local prevalence and potential for reversibility. This article focuses on improving the diagnosis of adult non-traumatic, non-compressive spinal cord disorders. It is structured to start with the clinical presentation in order to be of practical use to the clinician. We aim, by combining the onset phenotype with the subsequent course, along with imaging and laboratory features, to improve the diagnostic process.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) predominantly affect women who are of childbearing age. Understanding the interactions between pregnancy and NMOSD is important for clinical management. Aquaporin-4 (AQP4), the most common target antigen in NMOSD, is expressed on placenta in early pregnancy. A variety of immune and cytokine changes in pregnancy may impact pregnancy outcomes in NMOSD patients. Relapses continue during pregnancy and increase in frequency postpartum. Preeclampsia and fetal loss are more frequent in NMOSD than in controls. Transfer of AQP4-immunoglobulin G (IgG) from mother to baby occurs but appears not to cause disease. Several treatment options are relatively safe and mitigate the risk of relapse during pregnancy and postpartum. For patients with active NMOSD, it may be advisable to continue immunotherapy during pregnancy.

Background: Optic neuritis (ON) is often associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Early diagnosis is critical to optimal patient management. Objective: To estimate the incidence of acute ON and the rates of conversion to MS and antibody-mediated ON. Method: Population-based prospective study was performed in patients with ON from three ophthalmological departments and 44 practicing ophthalmologists from 2014 to 2016. Ophthalmological and neurological examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), determination of aquaporin-4(AQP4)-IgG and myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-IgG were investigated blindly. Results: In all, 63 patients were evaluated and 51 fulfilled the criteria for ON. All were Caucasian, with female:male ratio of 2.2:1 and a median age of 38 years (16–66); 44 (86%) had a single episode of ON (four bilateral), while 7/51 (14%) had recurrent ON. The overall age-specific incidence was 3.28 (2.44–4.31) per 100,000 person years, 2.02 for men and 4.57 for women. At follow-up, 20 patients met the diagnostic criteria for MS, MRI lesions disseminated in space and time in 17/20 patients. AQP4-IgG was detected in none, MOG-IgG was detected in two patients. Conclusion: The prospective incidence of ON was estimated. MRI enabled a diagnosis of MS in a subgroup of patients. Antibody-mediated ON with specificity for MOG was detected in 4% of cases.

Depression was examined in 45 patients evaluated within 2 months of diagnosis of MS. At the time of testing, 40% of the MS sample met the diagnostic criteria for major depression, 22% had adjustment disorder with depressed mood and 37% showed no evidence of mood disorder. Personal and family history of depression in patients with MS was also examined and compared with a sample of patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) who were matched for age, gender, marital and employment status and current level of depression. Fifty-two per cent of patients whit MS reported experiencing a depressive episode before the onset of MS compared with 17% of patients with CLBP (P<0.001). Sixteen patients with MS (35%) reported family history (parent or sibling) of treatment for depression compared with seven (15%) of patients with CLBP (P<0.05). MS patients with a history of depression reported more initial symptoms than MS patients without a history of depression. Clinical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.