Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMO-SD) in a Sub-Saharan Africa country: A preliminary study of sixteen Senegalese cases

2018; Elsevier BV; Volume: 27; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.msard.2018.10.108

2211-0356

Ndiaga Matar Gaye, Maouly Fall, Alassane Mamadou Diop, Samy Mohamed Lemine Dadah, Mamadou Mourtalla Ka, Ousmane H. Cissé, N.S. Diagne, Marième Soda Diop, Adjaratou Dieynabou Sow, Anna Modji Basse-Faye, Mamadou Moustapha Sarr, Kamadore Touré, Lala Bouna Seck, Moustapha Ndiaye, Amadou Gallo Diop,

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research

ABSTRACT Background Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. In Sub-Saharan Africa, publications are rare and deal with isolated cases. Our goal was to analyze the characteristics of NMO spectrum disorders in a Senegalese cohort compiled in Dakar. Patients and method This was a retrospective descriptive study conducted at the Neurology Department of Fann Teaching Hospital. We included all patients with NMO-SD according to the 2014 diagnostic criteria. Results Sixteen patients were enrolled, 4 men and 12 women with an average age of 30 years. Ten patients (62.5%) presented an acute myelopathy associated with retrobulbar optic neuritis and 5 (31.25%) had isolated spinal cord injury. Spinal MRI showed abnormal cervical (6 patients), dorsal (4 patients), bulbar-cervical (3 patients) or cervico-dorsal (2 patients) signal extended (≥3 vertebral segments) of the spinal cord. Visual evoked potentials (VEP) showed demyelinating optic nerve involvement in 8 patients. Ten patients were positive to AQP-4 IgG. Systemic corticosteroid therapy was the rule in all patients, associated with azathioprine in 10 of them. The clinical course at 3 months was predominantly favourable (10 patients). Conclusion This cohort is the first one compiled in Dakar. African multicentric epidemiological studies are needed.