title: [Diagnostic criteria and differential diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica].
abstract: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune central nervous system disease associated with anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4) antibody. Although the current diagnostic criteria requires both optic neuritis and myelitis, many of the patients with anti-AQP4 antibody do not fulfil the criteria, so that they have a chance to be misdiagnosed as having multiple sclerosis (MS). To avoid the misdiagnosis, a sensitive method to detect anti-AQP4 antibody is required although widely used kits has lower sensitivity. Although MS is one of the most important differential diagnosis of NMO, diseases associated with anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody may mimic NMO clinical features and should be considered as differential diagnosis.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D051401:Aquaporin 4 / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D063308:Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein / Q000276:immunology; D009471:Neuromyelitis Optica / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D051401:Aquaporin 4; D001323:Autoantibodies; D063308:Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein