Acquired Demyelinating Syndromes: Focus on Neuromyelitis Optica and childhood-onset Multiple Sclerosis

Acquired demyelinating syndromes (ADS) cover a broad spectrum of central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory demyelinating syndromes, of which multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common subtype. This thesis focuses on two relatively rare clinical subtypes of ADS: neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and childhood-onset MS. Awareness and recognition of uncommon ADS subtypes are of importance for clinicians, since those require a distinct diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Here we aimed to reveal the spectrum of ADS by describing the clinical features of NMOSD and childhood-onset ADS, in order to improve the diagnostic process. In addition, we searched for prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers in ADS.