Masoud Etemadifar1, Amir Parsa Abhari2, Fatemeh Sabeti1, Mazdak Ganjalikhani-Hakemi3, Mehri Salari4, Fatemeh Hashemi2, Ali Aghababaee2, Reza Khorvash2, Mohammad Hasan Khayati2, Hosein Nouri5. 1. Department of Neurosurgery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. 2. Medical School, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. 3. Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. 4. Department of Neurological Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 5. Medical School, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Hosein.nouri.2018@gmail.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) antibody positivity in patients presenting with transverse myelitis (TM) and/or optic neuritis (ON), to describe their neurologic and radiological characteristics, and to compare these characteristics with those reported in previous studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 179 patients (ON: 96, TM: 74, ON and TM: 9) who visited Isfahan Multiple Sclerosis Center from January 2017 to September 2019, for approximately 32 months. The respective neurological examinations were performed. Demographic data of the patients, as well as findings from radiological and serological investigations were obtained. RESULTS: Frequencies of anti-NMDAR seropositivity in patients with TM, ON, and concurrent TM and ON were approximately 3.4%, 1.4%, and 11.1%, respectively. None exhibited any psychiatric symptoms. CONCLUSION: Based on the frequency of seropositivity for anti-NMDAR antibody in our patients, positivity for this antibody appears to be more frequent than previously anticipated in patients presenting with these conditions. We recommend that the anti-NMDAR antibody presence in CSF/serum be checked and considered in addition to the routine examinations performed upon confronting demyelinating conditions such as TM and ON. We suggest considering the term "NMDAR spectrum disorder" to more clearly distinguish the potentially overlapping conditions with different etiologies in patients with CNS disorders.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) antibody positivity in patients presenting with transverse myelitis (TM) and/or optic neuritis (ON), to describe their neurologic and radiological characteristics, and to compare these characteristics with those reported in previous studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 179 patients (ON: 96, TM: 74, ON and TM: 9) who visited Isfahan Multiple Sclerosis Center from January 2017 to September 2019, for approximately 32 months. The respective neurological examinations were performed. Demographic data of the patients, as well as findings from radiological and serological investigations were obtained. RESULTS: Frequencies of anti-NMDAR seropositivity in patients with TM, ON, and concurrent TM and ON were approximately 3.4%, 1.4%, and 11.1%, respectively. None exhibited any psychiatric symptoms. CONCLUSION: Based on the frequency of seropositivity for anti-NMDAR antibody in our patients, positivity for this antibody appears to be more frequent than previously anticipated in patients presenting with these conditions. We recommend that the anti-NMDAR antibody presence in CSF/serum be checked and considered in addition to the routine examinations performed upon confronting demyelinating conditions such as TM and ON. We suggest considering the term "NMDAR spectrum disorder" to more clearly distinguish the potentially overlapping conditions with different etiologies in patients with CNS disorders.