Publications by authors named "Paulus Rommer"
Objective: In this multicentric study, we were interested in the vision-related quality of life and its association with visual impairment in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) in comparison to multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls.
Methods: We analysed extracted data from the German NEMOS registry including National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) scores, high and low contrast visual acuity (HCVA, LCVA), visually evoked potentials (VEP) and the scores for the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and other neurological tests which assessed their disease-related impairment. The mean follow-up time of our patients was 1.
Objective: To investigate retinal layer thinning as a biomarker of disease-modifying treatment (DMT) effects in relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS).
Methods: From an ongoing prospective observational study, we included patients with RMS, who (i) had an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan within 6 to 12 months after DMT start (rebaseline) and ≥1 follow-up OCT ≥12 months after rebaseline and (ii) adhered to DMT during follow-up. Differences between DMT in thinning of peripapillary-retinal-nerve-fiber-layer (pRNFL) and macular ganglion cell-plus-inner plexiform-layer (GCIPL) were analyzed using mixed-effects linear regression.
Background: Different definitions of disability progression by Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) may influence frequency and/or time to event.
Methods: In this multicenter cohort study, we included PPMS patients with follow-up ≥24 months and ≥3 available EDSS scores overall (≥1 per year). We applied 672 definitions of disability progression including different minimal EDSS increase, required confirmation and fixed/roving-baseline score.
Long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID) (LC) symptoms including pain and autonomic dysfunction are in some patients associated with small-fiber neuropathy (SFN). The pathomechanisms underlying SFN are mostly unclear. Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in immune regulation, viral clearance and nerve metabolism.
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- The study investigates the utility of autoimmune screening panels (ASPs) in diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS), as the significance of ASP positivity in MS patients is not well established.
- A retrospective analysis was conducted on 212 MS patients in Vienna, revealing a low rate of ASP seropositivity (11.4% for antinuclear antibodies).
- The findings suggest that ASPs are unnecessary for MS diagnosis in patients without clinical signs of systemic autoimmune disease, as their performance is comparable to the general population.
Background: Incomplete attack remission is the main cause of disability in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). Apheresis therapies such as plasma exchange and immunoadsorption are widely used in neuroimmunology. Data on apheresis outcomes in MOGAD attacks remain limited.
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- Fabry disease (FD) is a rare genetic disorder that affects multiple organs, particularly the heart, kidneys, and brain, and researchers are exploring neurofilament light chains (sNfL) as a potential biomarker for nerve damage in these patients.
- A study measured serum NfL levels in 50 FD patients compared to 30 healthy individuals, finding significantly higher sNfL levels in FD patients, especially in males and those with brain white matter lesions.
- The elevated sNfL levels correlated with clinical disease severity and renal function, suggesting that sNfL could be a valuable indicator of neuroaxonal injury and may reflect broader cerebrovascular damage in FD patients.
Article Synopsis
- Eculizumab (ECU) has shown effectiveness in preventing attacks in patients with aquaporin-4 (AQP4)-IgG seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs) during a retrospective analysis in clinical settings between 2014 and 2022.
- A total of 52 patients were studied, with 88% being attack-free during treatment, and the annualized attack rate significantly decreased from 1.0 to 0.
- While common side effects included serious infections, five patients died from various complications, indicating a need for careful monitoring during long-term ECU therapy.
Article Synopsis
- Using a rebaselining concept can help reduce measurement noise in retinal layer thinning in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) by recalibrating assessments after treatment begins.
- In a study involving 173 RMS patients, significant increases in retinal layer thinning were associated with relapses and worsening disability before treatment, but not with the type of disease-modifying treatment (DMT) used.
- The findings suggest that rebaselining enhances the ability to distinguish the effects of different DMTs on retinal layer thinning by minimizing the influence of prior disease activity.
Background: Persons with MS (PwMS) ≥ 55 years are underrepresented in therapy studies leading to a lack of evidence.
Objective And Methods: To study the subgroup of PwMS ≥ 55 years in the German MS registry in comparison with PwMS < 55 years. Endpoints of interest were the grade of disability, leading symptoms, clinical and magnetic resonance imaging activity, and use of disease modifying therapy.
Downbeat nystagmus (DBN) is the most common form of acquired central vestibular nystagmus. Gravity perception in patients with DBN has previously been investigated by means of subjective visual straight ahead (SVA) and subjective visual vertical (SVV) in the pitch and roll planes only during whole-body tilts. To our knowledge, the effect of head tilt in the roll plane on the SVV and on DBN has not yet been systematically studied in patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the CNS. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) contributes to the MS pathogenesis because high levels of EBV EBNA-specific antibodies cross react with the CNS-derived GlialCAM. However, it is unclear why only some individuals with such high autoreactive antibody titers develop MS.
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- The study focused on understanding how disability accumulates in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), examining factors like disease duration, attack frequency, and age.* -
- Data from 483 patients indicated that NMOSD patients reached significant disability milestones much sooner than MOGAD patients, despite similar attack rates; older age at symptom onset was linked to higher disability risk.* -
- Overall, NMOSD and MOGAD exhibit different patterns of disability progression, with MOGAD being less severe, and recent research has enhanced awareness and treatment strategies, positively impacting patient outcomes.*
Critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) is a frequent and underdiagnosed phenomenon among intensive care unit patients. The lipophilic nature of neuronal synapses may result in the association of low serum cholesterol levels with a higher rate of CIP development. We aimed to investigate this issue in critically ill patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Epileptic seizures can occur throughout the course of multiple sclerosis (MS) and are associated with increasing disability progression over time. However, there are no data on whether epileptic seizures at the onset of MS also lead to increasing disability.
Objective: To examine disease progression over time for MS patients with epileptic seizures at onset.