Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42391599›Full record

ArticleNeurology2026

Factors Associated With Disability Improvement and Worsening Independent of Attacks in Patients With AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD and MOGAD: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Daniel Engels, Patrick Schindler, Joachim Havla, Katinka Fischer, Marius Ringelstein, Martin W Hümmert, Franziska Bütow, Insa Schiffmann, Charlotte Schubert, Judith Bellmann-Strobl and 31 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

41 authors.

Daniel EngelsInstitute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-9877-6987
Patrick SchindlerDepartment of Neurology and Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8846-121X
Joachim HavlaInstitute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4386-1340
Katinka FischerDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany.ORCID 0009-0001-5348-2598
Marius RingelsteinDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3618-8407
Martin W HümmertDepartment of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-5928-2343
Franziska BütowDepartment of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Germany.
Insa SchiffmannDepartment of Neurology and Institute of Neuroimmunology and MS (INIMS), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8315-5398
Charlotte SchubertDepartment of Neurology and Institute of Neuroimmunology and MS (INIMS), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2967-4290
Judith Bellmann-StroblExperimental and Clinical Research Center, a Cooperation Between the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2615-1643
Katrin GiglhuberDepartment of Neurology, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University Munich, TUM Klinikum, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3790-2334
Clarissa ZappeDepartment of Neurology, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University Munich, TUM Klinikum, Germany.
Sven JariusDivision of Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, University of Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4849-2545
Lisa RevieDepartment of Neurology, University of Münster, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4911-6883
Carolin SchwakeDepartment of Neurology, St. Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3669-7244
Ioannis VardakasDepartment of Neurology, University of Ulm, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-5443-1142
Florian Then BerghDepartment of Neurology, University of Leipzig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8604-8408
Yavor YalachkovDepartment of Neurology, University Hospital, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0805-771X
Annette WalterDepartment of Neurology, Herford Hospital, Germany.
Leila HusseiniDepartment of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-9243-9735
Markus C KowarikDepartment of Neurology and Stroke and Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Eberhard-Karls University of Tübingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1389-5539
Matthias GrotheDepartment of Neurology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7998-5310
Antonios BayasDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7418-9040
Klemens AngstwurmDepartment of Neurology, University of Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3220-8829
Steffen PfeufferDepartment of Neurology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5171-4845
Uwe K ZettlDepartment of Neurology, Neuroimmunology, University of Rostock, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6348-1759
Ingo KleiterMarianne-Strauß-Klinik, Berg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8249-4408
Clemens WarnkeDepartment of Neurology, University Hospital Marburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3510-9255
Simone C TauberDepartment of Neurology, RWTH University Hospital, Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9149-3071
Jonathan WickelSection Translational Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Germany; and.ORCID 0000-0002-5854-3759
Makbule SenelDepartment of Neurology, University of Ulm, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2737-7495
Ilya AyzenbergDepartment of Neurology, St. Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.ORCID 0009-0007-9491-2180
Luisa KlotzDepartment of Neurology, University of Münster, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5439-9633
Brigitte WildemannDivision of Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, University of Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-5389-3338
Achim BertheleDepartment of Neurology, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University Munich, TUM Klinikum, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9650-6222
Vivien HäußlerDepartment of Neurology and Institute of Neuroimmunology and MS (INIMS), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7787-7391
Corinna TrebstDepartment of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-1402-8877
Orhan AktasDepartment of Neurology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2020-9210
Friedemann PaulDepartment of Neurology and Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6378-0070
Tania KümpfelInstitute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7509-5268
as the Neuromyelitis Optica Study Group (NEMOS)

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesDisability trajectories in aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G-seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) are primarily driven by attack-related damage. Confirmed disability worsening (CDW) independent of attacks has been described but occurs infrequently in AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD and MOGAD. Confirmed disability improvement (CDI) has not been evaluated in large cohorts. We determined the frequency of CDI and CDW independent of attacks and identified clinical factors associated with these outcomes in AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD and MOGAD.

methodsThis retrospective, multicenter cohort study analyzed data from the German Neuromyelitis Optica Study Group (NEMOS) registry. Adult patients with AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD or MOGAD and longitudinal Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) assessments were included. EDSS episodes were defined as periods with ≥3 EDSS assessments without attacks, obtained ≥90 days after attack. CDW and CDI were defined as sustained EDSS increase or decrease (≥1.5 for baseline EDSS 0; ≥1.0 for EDSS 1.0-5.5; ≥0.5 for EDSS ≥6.0) confirmed after at least 6 months. The primary outcomes were annualized CDI and CDW rates. Risk factors were assessed using multivariable Anderson-Gill regression models.

resultsA total of 338 EDSS episodes of 307 patients (n: 202/105, median age at EDSS change: 56/41 years, 88/49% female, both DISCUSSION: CDI and CDW independent of attacks, although rare, occur in AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD and MOGAD. The association between fewer prior attacks and higher CDI rates in AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD underscores the importance of early attack prevention. Limitations include the retrospective design, and the limited number of CDI and CDW events.

Indexed as

Aquaporin 4Immunoglobulin GMyelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated DiseaseNeuromyelitis OpticaAdultAutoantibodiesCohort StudiesDisability EvaluationDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMyelin-Oligodendrocyte GlycoproteinRegistriesRetrospective StudiesAQP4 protein, humanAquaporin 4AutoantibodiesImmunoglobulin GMyelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein

Identifiers

PMID42391599
PMCPMC13382860

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