{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,9]],"date-time":"2026-08-09T17:48:18Z","timestamp":1786297698179,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,17]],"date-time":"2022-03-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1647475200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Neurology International"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Here, a study of NMOSD in Central America and the Caribbean with a multinational collaborative, multicentric and descriptive approach involving 25 institutions from 9 countries is presented. Demographics, clinical manifestations, expanded disability scale status (EDSS), brain and spinal cord MRI, serological anti-AQP4-IgG and anti-MOG-IgG antibodies, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) oligoclonal bands were included. A central serological repository utilized the cell-based assay. The specimens outside of this network employed diverse methodologies. Data were collected at the Gorgas Commemorative Institute of Health Studies (ICGES), Panama, and included 186 subjects, of which 84% were females (sex ratio of 5.6:1). Mestizos constituted 72% of the study group. The median age was 42.5 years (IQR: 32.0\u201352.0). Associated autoimmune diseases (8.1%) were myasthenia gravis, Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus. The most common manifestation was optic neuritis-transverse myelitis (42.5%). A relapsing course was described in 72.3% of cases. EDSS scores of 0\u20133.5 were reported in 57.2% of cases and higher than 7.0 in 14.5%. Positive anti-AQP4-IgG antibody occurred in 59.8% and anti-MOG-IgG antibody in 11.5% of individuals. Antibody testing was lacking for 13.4% of patients. The estimated crude prevalence of NMOSD from Panama and the Dominican Republic was 1.62\/100,000 (incidence of 0.08\u20130.41) and 0.73\/100,000 (incidence 0.02\u20130.14), respectively. This multinational study contributes additional insights and data on the understanding of NMOSD in this Latin American region.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/neurolint14010023","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,20]],"date-time":"2022-03-20T21:34:27Z","timestamp":1647812067000},"page":"284-293","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder in Central America and the Caribbean: A Multinational Clinical Characterization Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Fernando","family":"Gracia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Hospital Santo Tom\u00e1s, Panama City 0819-03752, Panama"},{"name":"School of Medicine, Universidad Interamericana de Panam\u00e1, Panama City 0830-00929, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Deyanira","family":"Ram\u00edrez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Hospital Docente Padre Billini, Santo Domingo City 11102, Dominican Republic"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexander","family":"Parajeles-Vindas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Hospital San Juan de Dios CCSS, San Jose 1475-1000, Costa Rica"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alejandro","family":"D\u00edaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Instituto Guatemalteco de Seguridad Social, Guatemala City 1010, Guatemala"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amado","family":"D\u00edaz de la F\u00e9","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Centro Internacional de Restauraci\u00f3n Neurol\u00f3gica (CIREN), La Habana 11300, Cuba"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicia Eunice Ram\u00edrez","family":"S\u00e1nchez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Hospital Dr. Mario Catarino Rivas, San Pedro Sula 21104, Honduras"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Romy Castro","family":"Escobar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Instituto Salvadore\u00f1o del Seguro Social, San Salvador 1101, El Salvador"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luis Alberto Garc\u00eda","family":"Valle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Hospital Militar Escuela Dr. Alejandro D\u00e1vila Bola\u00f1os, Managua 14285, Nicaragua"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roberto","family":"Weiser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Hospital Horacio Oduber, Oranjestad 569, 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Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Johana","family":"V\u00e1zquez-C\u00e9spedes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Hospital San Juan de Dios CCSS, San Jose 1475-1000, Costa Rica"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Priscilla","family":"Monterrey-Alvarez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Hospital San Rafael de Alajuela CCSS, Alajuela 1481-2100, Costa Rica"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kenneth","family":"Carazo-C\u00e9spedes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Hospital San Juan de Dios CCSS, San Jose 1475-1000, Costa Rica"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3977-2046","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alfredo","family":"Sanabria-Castro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurology Service, Hospital San Juan de Dios 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