Relationship of immune cells with disability and cognitive impairment in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between common clinical immune indicators, disability degree, and cognitive impairment in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed lymphocyte subsets and routine parameters in the peripheral blood of 55 patients with NMOSD. We assessed the degree of disability using the Extended Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores were used to assess cognitive function. In addition, we also determined the cytokine levels in 33 patients with NMOSD. The relationships of these immunological indicators with disability and cognitive impairment were assessed using correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. RESULTS: The results of the multiple linear regression analysis suggested that for patients with NMOSD, the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (ß=0.072, p=0.034) and number of attacks (ß=0.131, p=0.03) were positively correlated with EDSS scores, whereas the number of attacks was positively correlated with MoCA scores. In addition, we also collected cytokine levels in 33 of these patients. The results of the study showed a positive correlation between IL-10 and EDSS scores and a negative correlation between IL-6 and MoCA scores. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that these immune cells and cytokines are, to some extent, associated with the degree of disability and cognitive impairment in patients with NMOSD. Closely monitoring these indicators may allow detecting changes in patients' disease courses and predicting the severity of their disease. In clinical practice, this may facilitate early intervention and appropriate treatment decisions, which may improve the management of patient prognosis.