Therapeutic plasma exchange for neuromyelitis optica attacks: Evidence and challenges from a real-world cohort from Brazil

Abstract

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) can improve disability recovery after neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease (NMOSD) attacks, but its effectiveness and safety in Latin-American patients with access barriers and diverse ethnicity is underexplored. We carried out a retrospective cohort study with NMOSD patients that underwent TPE. 84 NMOSD attacks in 68 patients were evaluated. Despite a median 25-day delay from symptom onset to TPE, 65,5% of patients showed significant improvement. Adverse events occurred in 39% of patients, usually transitory and with no fatalities.

Keywords: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease; Therapeutic plasma exchange.