A new study has shed light on hereditary angioedema (HAE)-associated throat microbiota and found a correlation between attack severity and microbial flora. “The associations between throat microbiomes with laryngeal edema and disease severity in HAE patients may indicate the potential of microbiome-based interventions in the prevention and treatment of HAE episodes,” the study authors said.…
Research suggests mental health issues due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic can exacerbate symptoms of hereditary angioedema.
Although there appears to be a degree of correlation between autoantibody levels in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and disease severity, routine clinical use of autoantibody level testing is not recommended due to the limited evidence regarding the subject. The role of autoantibodies directed towards nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, autoantibodies muscle-specific kinase, and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related…
Researchers presented a case report in Cureus of a patient with hereditary angioedema who died shortly after contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Hereditary angioedema is characterized by recurrent swelling via bradykinin or dysregulation of the histaminergic response. This then causes the inflammatory cascade to proceed unchecked, giving rise to vasodilation and vascular permeability, the very…
An upcoming systematic review aims to assess the clinical characteristics of ocular myasthenia gravis (MG) as well as the proportion of patients with ocular MG that progress to secondary generalized MG. Approximately half of the patients have positive antibodies against the neuromuscular junction receptors, acetylcholine receptors, and muscle-specific kinase receptors. However, the true proportion of…
A new multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 clinical trial aims to assess the safety and effectiveness of mitoxantrone hydrochloride liposome injection in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). The study will include 45 patients aged between 18 and 60 years with an NMOSD diagnosis made as determined by the 2015 International Consensus Diagnostic…
There is a high prevalence of pain among patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and identifying this pain may be useful in localizing the disease, says a new retrospective study published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. The presence of aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-ab) in serum is an independent risk factor for NMOSD pain.…
B cell-activating factor (BAFF) and aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-Ab) concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are correlated with the severity of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to a new study published in the Turkish Journal of Biochemistry. These concentrations can also predict the progression of the disease. To evaluate the correlation between the severity of…
Patients with optic neuritis related to neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) have more severe axonal damage and worse axonal recovery compared to those with idiopathic demyelinating optic neuritis, found a new study published in BMC Ophthalmology. The researchers also reported that visual evoked potential elicited by smaller check size is more sensitive to visual…
When I was first diagnosed with cold agglutinin disease (CAD), my symptoms were at an all-time high.
