AUTHOR=Sudhakar Padmaja , Abusamra Khawla , Thandampallayam Mangayarkarasi , Kini Ashwini 

TITLE=New advancements in the management of Neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disease: literature review

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ophthalmology

VOLUME=Volume 3 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ophthalmology/articles/10.3389/fopht.2023.1130971

DOI=10.3389/fopht.2023.1130971

ISSN=2674-0826

ABSTRACT=Neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a relapsing autoimmune antibody-mediated disease of the brain and spinal cord where aquaporin-4 water channels (WC) are the antigenic target of the disease. The spectrum of the disease involves regions of the central nervous system (CNS) where the WC are widely expressed including spinal cord (longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis- LETM), optic nerve (optic neuritis-ON), dorsal medulla (area postrema syndrome), brainstem (acute brainstem syndromes), and thalamus/hypothalamus (acute diencephalic syndromes). Treatment of NMOSD includes acute as well as long term treatment. Acute relapses are typically treated with high dose intravenous steroids and/or plasma exchange and long-term treatment involves the use of immunosuppression/immune modulation. The year 2019 is thought to be the “year of the NMOSD” as 3 new medications became available for this devastating disease. In this review, FDA approved NMOSD medications are discussed.