Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)

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Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO), also known as Devic’s disease, is a spinal cord disorder that can cause paralysis and loss of vision. It is named after the man who first documented the symptom related to the disorder. NMO has long been thought to be a variant of Multiple Sclerosis and is commonly diagnosed as MS. Anywhere from 10 to 60 percent of cases of MS are actually Devic’s. Misdiagnosed patients are given treatments which are normally ineffective and possibly harmful. If not treated or misdiagnosed, a patient can potentially lose all mobility and vision(Neuromyelitis Optica). This disease is of particular importance to me because my father’s sister, my aunt, was misdiagnosed 1998 after having lost some mobility in one of her legs. Initially, she was told that she had an inoperable brain tumor and should start radiation immediately. This diagnosis was due to an MRI which showed a mass where the brain connects to the spinal cord. After a second evaluation from another local surgeon in her home town, that doctor did not believe the mass was a tumor and suggested further ...

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