Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), also known as Devic's disease or Devic's syndrome, is an autoimmune, inflammatory disorder in which a person's own immune system attacks the optic nerves and spinal cord. This produces an inflammation of the optic nerve (optic neuritis) and the spinal cord (myelitis). Although inflammation may also affect the brain, the lesions are different from those observed in the related condition, multiple sclerosis. Spinal cord lesions lead to varying degrees of weakness or paralysis in the legs or arms, loss of sensation (including blindness), and/or bladder and bowel dysfunction.
Devic's disease is a rare disorder which resembles multiple sclerosis (MS) in several ways, but requires a different course of treatment for optimal results. It has also been suggested to be a variant form of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. The likely target of the autoimmune attack, at least in some patients with NMO, has been identified as a protein of the nervous system cells called aquaporin 4.
Read more about Neuromyelitis Optica: Symptoms, Mechanism, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis, Epidemiology, History, Research Directions