Clinical Profile of Anti-Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody Seropositive Cases of Optic Neuritis

Abstract

We have studied the clinical picture of anti-aquaporin antibody (AQP4-Ab)– and anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody (MOG-Ab)–positive optic neuritis. However, optic neuritis associated with MOG-Abs has not been elucidated using new methods such as cell-based assay. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive investigation on its clinical profile. Serum samples from 70 patients (17 males and 53 females, mean age 43.1 years) with optic neuritis were tested for MOG-Abs by cell-based assay. In MOG-Ab seropositive patients, the disease type, recurrence status, and visual function outcome were analysed. Among 70 patients, 18 were MOG-Ab seropositive. The 18 patients comprised 2 with chronic relapsing inflammatory optic neuropathy, 2 with AQP4-Ab seropositive optic neuritis (neuromyelitis optica), 12 with idiopathic optic neuritis, and 2 with optic neuritis associated with multiple sclerosis. Excluding two cases that were also AQP4-Ab seropositive, MOG-Ab seropositive cases had relatively favourable visual acuity outcome (although not significantly different from seronegative cases) but had significant residual visual field deficit (p = 0.0015). Furthermore, the number of relapses of optic neuritis per year was significantly greater in MOG-Ab seropositive cases than in seronegative cases (0.82 vs. 0.40; p = 0.0005). MOG-Abs may contribute to the heterogeneous clinical picture of optic neuritis, and although visual acuity outcome is favourable, there is a tendency of residual visual field deficit and a possibility of repeated relapses.

• Anti-aquaporin 4 antibodies
• anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein
• cell-based immunofluorescence assay
• optic neuritis
• recurrent rate
• visual field defect

Acknowledgements

We thank Ms. Teresa Nakatani for critical revision of the manuscript.

Declaration of interest. This work was supported in part by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and Health and Labour Sciences Research Grants for research on intractable diseases from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare of Japan.