2017 年 34 巻 3 号 p. 211-214
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) targeting the oligodendrocytes and myelin through autoimmune mechanisms and shows relapsing–remitting clinical course. The patients with MS show variable neurological symptoms according to the involved lesions in the CNS. Due to the environmental changes of recent decades, the patients with MS are increasing. Recently, several new drugs for preventing relapses have been developed based on the understanding of MS pathophysiology.
Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) is also a relapsing–remitting autoimmune disease of the CNS that mainly targets astrocytes. NMO patients preferentially show optic neuritis and myelitis which is characterized with longitudinally extensive spinal cord lesions on MRI. The pathophysiology of NMO is closely related to the anti–aquaporin 4 autoantibodies together with activation of complement.
The core features of MS and NMO are different and the treatments for the prevention of relapses are different.
