Profile of patients with neuromyelitis optica in treatment with rituximab

Abstract

Objective: To describe the profile of patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) using rituximab, from a
reference service in neurology. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out, based on the analysis of the
medical records of 27 patients diagnosed with NMO, undergoing treatment with rituximab, seen between
January 2014 and January 2020. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the help of
IBM software SPSS 20.0 Results: The sample had a mean age of 33.89±11.75 years, formed by a female
majority (88.9%) and from the interior of the state of Pernambuco (44.4%); (59.3%) took less than 1 year to be
diagnosed and (55.6%) used psychiatric drugs. The most common onset symptoms were decreased visual
acuity (70.4%), bladder dysfunction (51.9%) and paresis (48.1%). Only 7.4% developed an adverse reaction
and the most common outcome was continued treatment (63.0%). Conclusion: The results show a clinical
profile very similar to that already reported in the pertinent literature, however, there was a trend of disorders in the scope of mental health that deserves further study.