These finger-like extensions are where the electrical signals in the neuron become chemical signals. Those signals travel through specialized cells known as neurons, which form incredibly complex connections to other neurons around them.Ī key part of every neuron is an arm-like extension called the axon, which carries electrical signals to the synapses (pronounced sin-apps-is) at the end of the axon. Your nervous system transmits information to and from your brain using chemical and electrical signals. The network of nerves that branch outward throughout your entire body makes up your peripheral nervous system. Together, your brain and spinal cord are known as the central nervous system. Your nervous system consists of your brain and spinal cord (the optic nerves, which are the cranial nerves that allow you to see, are technically part of your brain also). To understand how NMO affects you, it helps to know a little about the makeup of your nervous system. How does neuromyelitis optica affect my body? That means there are between 1,000 and 14,600 cases in the United States and between 24,000 and 350,600 cases worldwide. The average number of people with NMO per 100,000 is between 0.3 and 4.4. It can also disproportionately affect people of Asian descent. The Caribbean island of Martinique, a French territory, has the highest number of cases for the size of its population, about ,000 people. NMO affects people of African descent, especially African Caribbean descent, at higher rates. People of all races and ethnic backgrounds can develop NMO, but it doesn’t affect people of all backgrounds at the same rates. NMO in children is very uncommon, making up only 5% or so of cases. It usually affects people between the ages of 30 and 40. NMO is much more likely to affect women and people assigned female at birth, who make up about 80% to 90% of cases. However, they know now that it’s a separate condition. But it’s still common for healthcare providers and other experts to simply call it neuromyelitis optica.Įxperts previously thought that NMO was a rare type of multiple sclerosis (MS). This condition’s full, formal name is neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). However, an international group of experts gave the condition its current name in 2015. The condition’s original name, Devic’s disease, comes from Eugène Devic, the French neurologist who first described it. This condition has undergone name changes over the years. It’s an autoimmune disorder, meaning it happens because your immune system mistakenly attacks parts of your central nervous system. Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare chronic condition that affects your eyesight and your ability to move. That can cause symptoms like vision problems and pain or weakness in your limbs. Neuromyelitis optica can affect your optic nerve and spinal cord.
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