Contributions
Abstract: P846
Type: Poster
Abstract Category: Clinical aspects of MS - Epidemiology
In worldwide analyses, Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and opticospinal Multiple sclerosis (MS) represented at higher proportions among demyelinating conditions in African, East-Asian and Latin American populations. There are currently very poor data regarding the prevalence of NMOSD in Middle East Muslim. In our previous work, we indicate a possibly increased prevalence of NMOSD in Muslim Arabs in Israel with distinct (positive and negative) HLA associations. We performed a follow up study aimed to phenotype patients with CNS demyelination among the Muslims Arabs population followed at the Hadassah MS center.
Methods: 160 out of 199 patients files had sufficient clinical information to be included in the study. NMO diagnosis was defined according to the 2015 criteria. AQP4 seropositivity was analyzed in 250 sera samples using an ELISA assay followed by a cell based validation assay.
Results: Out of the 160 Muslims Arabs patients with CNS demyelination followed at Hadassah MS center, more than 20% were clinical definite NMO (35/160). 13% of the patients had myelitis only with no AQP4 positivity, and 52% were diagnose with MS. The 35 definite NMO patients had clinical characteristics typical of NMO spectrum disorder. No major clinical differences were found between the Muslims Arabs population and other ethnic groups in Israel. The AQP4+ positivity was 60%. The relative frequency of MS to NMO in the Muslims Arabs population (MS/NMO ratio) was 2.4. In order to overcome referral center over diagnosis, we randomly screening the last 250 sera samples tested for AQP4-Ab in the Hadassah medical center. Out of the 250 sample, 14 were positive. 40% of the positive patients were obtained from Israeli Muslims Arabs (6/14).
Conclusions: Our findings point to an increased prevalence of NMOSD in Muslim Arabs in Israel. Among patients of Muslim Arabs origin in Israel, with idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases, the diagnosis of NMO is almost half of MS diagnosis.
Disclosure: Livnat Brill: "nothing to disclose"
Oded Abramsky: "nothing to disclose"
Tamir Ben-Hur: "nothing to disclose"
Arnon Karni: "nothing to disclose"
Shoshana Israel: "nothing to disclose"
Adi Vaknin-Dembinsky: "nothing to disclose"
Abstract: P846
Type: Poster
Abstract Category: Clinical aspects of MS - Epidemiology
In worldwide analyses, Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and opticospinal Multiple sclerosis (MS) represented at higher proportions among demyelinating conditions in African, East-Asian and Latin American populations. There are currently very poor data regarding the prevalence of NMOSD in Middle East Muslim. In our previous work, we indicate a possibly increased prevalence of NMOSD in Muslim Arabs in Israel with distinct (positive and negative) HLA associations. We performed a follow up study aimed to phenotype patients with CNS demyelination among the Muslims Arabs population followed at the Hadassah MS center.
Methods: 160 out of 199 patients files had sufficient clinical information to be included in the study. NMO diagnosis was defined according to the 2015 criteria. AQP4 seropositivity was analyzed in 250 sera samples using an ELISA assay followed by a cell based validation assay.
Results: Out of the 160 Muslims Arabs patients with CNS demyelination followed at Hadassah MS center, more than 20% were clinical definite NMO (35/160). 13% of the patients had myelitis only with no AQP4 positivity, and 52% were diagnose with MS. The 35 definite NMO patients had clinical characteristics typical of NMO spectrum disorder. No major clinical differences were found between the Muslims Arabs population and other ethnic groups in Israel. The AQP4+ positivity was 60%. The relative frequency of MS to NMO in the Muslims Arabs population (MS/NMO ratio) was 2.4. In order to overcome referral center over diagnosis, we randomly screening the last 250 sera samples tested for AQP4-Ab in the Hadassah medical center. Out of the 250 sample, 14 were positive. 40% of the positive patients were obtained from Israeli Muslims Arabs (6/14).
Conclusions: Our findings point to an increased prevalence of NMOSD in Muslim Arabs in Israel. Among patients of Muslim Arabs origin in Israel, with idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases, the diagnosis of NMO is almost half of MS diagnosis.
Disclosure: Livnat Brill: "nothing to disclose"
Oded Abramsky: "nothing to disclose"
Tamir Ben-Hur: "nothing to disclose"
Arnon Karni: "nothing to disclose"
Shoshana Israel: "nothing to disclose"
Adi Vaknin-Dembinsky: "nothing to disclose"