[A clinical comparative study of multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica.].

OBJECTIVE

To compare the clinical characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) for better diagnosis and differential diagnosis of them.

METHODS

The characteristics of 40 MS and 38 NMO cases were retrospectively studied on clinic manifestations, electroneurophysiology, some laboratory indices, imaging characteristics and so on.

RESULTS

The ratios of male to female were 1:1.35 and 1:4.43 respectively in patients with MS and NMO, so patients with NMO were more likely to be female as compared with MS (P < 0.05). The mean onset age was (35.5 +/- 13.9) years in MS patients and (30.6 +/- 15.6) years in NMO patients, but no significant difference was found (P > 0.05). The cases of visual acuity </= 0.1 in patients NMO was 13, which of MS was merely 1. The cases of visual acuity less than 0.5 after treatment in NMO patients was 19, which in MS was only 1. The cases of cognitive impairment in NMO was 3, which of MS was 10. The cases of cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal bands in MS was 16, which in NMO patients was 9. The lesions of spinal cord shown in MRI of MS patients were typically oval, peripheral and asymmetric, but those in NMO patients extended longitudinally and converged centrally. The mean number of involved vertebral segments in NMO patients was significantly greater than that in MS patients (6.6 vs 2.2, P < 0.01). Furthermore, the number of spinal cord lesions in MS patients was alse remarkably greater than that in NMO patients (2.0 vs 1.2, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

NMO may be a distinct clinical entity, which is likely to be differentiated from MS by its tendency to affect women, younger age at onset, and other features clinical manifestations, electroneurophysiology, laboratory parameters, neuroimaging show.