To evaluate the risk factors associated with disability and the recurrence of relapses in patients with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD) attended in a Neuroinmunology Unit of a therthiary health care center at the Dominican Republic.

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a central nervous system´s disease with high morbidity and mortality and a good response to immunosuppressive treatment. Therefore, prompt diagnosis of this disorder is mandatory due to its relapsing course, which can cause permanent disability.

A retropesctive, descriptive and mixed-sources based study

A total of 27 patients where included, being the majority female. The mean age was 43.33 years. Hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity and a single case, presented Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. The diagnostic time most frequently recorded was 1 to 6 years and the time relapsed between diagnosis and the first flare was 0 to 5 months (66.67%). Patients had at least 3 flares or more in one year, with a mean of 1.89. Almost all patients, that is, 66.67%, belonged to the AQP4 positive variant. The most frequent presenting symptom was optic neuritis, with 37% and the most common flare was myelitis, in 74.11%. A moderate degree of disability between 2-3 and 3.5-4.5 was the highest recorded (51.80%). 88.90% of patients has alredy a stablished treatment. There was no relationship between sex and the number of relapses, not being so for age and the number of relapses, where a statistically significant relationship was evident. Only type 2 diabetes mellitus was related as a comorbidity with the number of flare-ups. There was a relationship between AQP4+, both with the number of flare-ups and with the degree of disability.

There is an important relationship between risk factors, disability and number of relapses in patients with NMOSD, which is therefore an important predictor of worsening and progression.