Table 2.
Comparison of clinical and paraclinical findings in NMOSD vs. MOGAD.
| NMOSD | MOGAD | |
|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | ||
| Median age (years) | 30–40s | 30s (adults) and children (<18) |
| Gender (F:M) | 9:1 | 1:1 |
| Ethnicity preference | Asian, African American | No clear predilection |
| Clinical and imaging features | ||
| Optic neuritis: | ||
| • Optic disc oedema | + | +++ |
| • Bilateral optic nerve involvement | ++ | ++ |
| • Pain | ++ | +++ |
| • Severe vision loss at nadir | +++ | +++ |
| • Recurrent visual loss | +++ | +++ |
| • Steroid dependence | + | ++ |
| • Visual recovery | Poor | Favourable |
| • Optic chiasm involvement | +++ | + |
| • MRI enhancement location | Posterior optic nerve | Anterior optic nerve |
| • MRI perineural enhancement | Rare | ++ |
| Myelitis: | ||
| • LETM | +++ | ++ |
| • Conus medullaris involvement | + | +++ |
| • MRI gadolinium enhancement | ++ | + |
| • H sign | + | ++ |
| Area postrema syndrome | ++ | Rare |
| Seizure | Rare | + |
| Encephalopathy | Rare | ++ |
| Diencephalic symptoms | ++ | Rare |
| Brainstem syndromes | + | ++ |
| ADEM | Rare | ++ |
| CSF | ||
| White blood cell count (cells/µl) | Normal to mild elevation | Normal to mild elevation |
| • >50 cells/µl | 35% | 13–35% |
| Protein mg/dl | Normal to mild/moderate elevation | Normal to mild elevation |
| Oligoclonal bands | <20% | <20% |
Rare or less than 5%, + infrequent, ++ frequent, +++ very frequent.
ADEM acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, CSF cerebrospinal fluid, LETM longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis, MOGAD myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease, MRI magnetic resonance imaging, NMOSD neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.