Assessment of serum FAM19A5 level in patients with Neuromyelitis Optica spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is currently classified as a principal astrocytopathy accompanied by secondary demyelination . The neuroinflammatory protein FAM19A5 is released by reactive astrocytes following CNS injury. However, data on its role in NMOSD are limited.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate serum levels of FAM19A5 in patients with NMOSD compared to healthy controls .

METHODS

A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted on 50 NMOSD patients and 40 healthy controls at the Neurology Department, Assiut University Hospitals, Egypt,over a two-year period. Serum aquaporin-4 IgG (AQP4-IgG) antibodies were assessed using a cell-based immunofluorescence assay. Serum FAM19A5 levels were measured using the Human TAFA-5 ELISA kit. Clinical and radiological data from studied sample were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

Serum FAM19A5 levels were significantly elevated in NMOSD patients compared to healthy controls (median 673.95 ng/L vs. 355.25 ng/L, p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis demonstrated that FAM19A5 had good diagnostic performance in distinguishing NMOSD patients from healthy controls, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.836, a sensitivity of 64.0%, and a specificity of 97.5% at a cutoff value >600 ng/L.

CONCLUSION

Serum FAM19A5 levels are significantly elevated in patients with NMOSD compared to healthy individuals, suggesting its potential utility as a diagnostic biomarker of NMOSD.