Seizure and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated encephalomyelitis in a retrospective cohort of Chinese patients

Abstract

Background: Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody associated encephalomyelitis is increasingly being considered a distinct disease entity, with seizures and encephalopathy commonly reported. We investigated the clinical features of MOG-IgG positive patients presenting with seizures and/or encephalopathy in a single cohort. Methods: Consecutive patients with suspected idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases were recruited from a tertiary University hospital in Guangdong province, China. Subjects with MOG-IgG seropositivity were analyzed according to whether they presented with or without seizure and/or encephalopathy. Results: Overall, 58 subjects seropositive for MOG-IgG were analyzed, including 23 (40%) subjects presenting with seizures and/or encephalopathy. Meningeal irritation (P = 0.030), fever (P = 0.001), headache (P = 0.001), nausea, and vomiting (P = 0.004) were more commonly found in subjects who had seizures and/or encephalopathy, either at presentation or during the disease course. Nonetheless, there was less optic nerve (4/23, 17.4%, P = 0.003) and spinal cord (6/16, 37.5%, P = 0.037) involvement as compared to subjects without seizures or encephalopathy. Most MOG encephalomyelitis subjects had cortical/subcortical lesions: 65.2% (15/23) in the seizures and/or encephalopathy group and 50.0% (13/26) in the without seizures or encephalopathy group. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leukocytes were elevated in both groups. Subgroup analysis showed that 30% (7/23) MOG-IgG positive subjects with seizures and/or encephalopathy had been misdiagnosed for central nervous system infection on the basis of meningoencephalitis symptoms and elevated CSF leukocytes (P = 0.002). Conclusions: Seizures and encephalopathy are not rare in MOG encephalomyelitis, and are commonly associated with cortical and subcortical brain lesions. MOG-encephalomyelitis often presents with clinical meningoencephalitis symptoms and abnormal CSF findings mimicking central nervous system infection in pediatric and young adult patients.