Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2002 Jun;22(2):105-22.
doi: 10.1055/s-2002-36534.

Neuromyelitis optica

Bruce A C Cree  1 , Douglas S Goodin, Stephen L Hauser
Affiliations

Neuromyelitis optica

Bruce A C Cree et al. Semin Neurol. 2002 Jun.

Abstract

Whether neuromyelitis optica (NMO), the co-occurrence of myelitis and optic neuritis, is a variant of multiple sclerosis (MS) or a unique disease is controversial. Distinct neuropathological features and a fulminant clinical course argue in favor of NMO as a distinct disease. However, the combination of neurological impairments of myelitis and optic neuritis occurs in patients with several inflammatory disorders, including multiple sclerosis and collagen vascular diseases. NMO is also associated with certain infectious diseases. The fact that the NMO phenotype occurs in a variety of disease states suggests that NMO does not represent a specific clinical entity. To better understand NMO and its associations with recognized diseases, a systematic review of the literature using MEDLINE was conducted. The history of NMO, its nosology, associations with other diseases, and current concepts of its pathogenesis and treatment is reviewed in this article.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types