Specially commissioned status in 2010
Care for 100+ NMO patients
3500+ samples tested every year
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare disease causing inflammation in the spinal cord and optic nerves. The NMO service brings together expertise in diagnostics and clinical management to improve outcomes for this often isolated group of patients.
Overview
The main aim of the group is to better characterise the clinical, radiological and laboratory features of NMO and related disorders in order to improve diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. We are interested in clinical features of NMO that may determine disease course and prognosis and have recently published a major paper describing early prognostic characteristics and disability outcomes (Kitley et al, Brain 2012).
I feel isolated as the condition is so rare, before coming to the service I only had my family as supportT.W, NMO patient
Research
NMO is sometimes difficult to differentiate from other disorders, particularly multiple sclerosis, which is important because the treatment is different. We have been looking at radiological features that may help differentiate these two conditions, and are also studying the clinical and paraclinical features of the ocular and spinal cord inflammation to look for particular characteristics that may enable distinction of NMO from NMO mimics.
In the laboratory, we are investigating whether measuring serum levels of the NMO disease-specific antibody aquaporin-4 can be useful in determining response to treatment and can help guide management of these patients. We have also been looking for other antibodies in the small number of patients who do not have the aquaporin-4 antibodies.
We continue to work on improving the diagnostic assay to help diagnose these patients as early as possible.
Research Projects
- Optic neuritis in NMO
- Radiological features of NMO
- Improving diagnostic assays in NMO
- Clinical and immunological characterisation of myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated NMO
- Clinical relevance of aquaporin-4 antibody titres
- Aquaporin-4 antibody isoform specificities in NMO
- Clinical and immunological features of aquaporin-4 antibody seronegative NMO
- Pain syndromes in NMO
- Thromboembolic disease in NMO
News
- UK NMO team to present at US NMO patient day and Scientific meeting
- NMO service patient information booklets nominated for a BMI award
Contact Us
Clinical advice
NMO Advanced Nurse Practitioner 01865 231905, nmo.advice@ouh.nhs.uk
Correspondence
NMO Coordinator 01865231900, annaliza.rye@ouh.nhs.uk