Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41591715›Full record

GuidelineCNS drugs2026

Consensus Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD): The MENACTRIMS Guidelines.

Bassem Yamout, Riadh Gouider, Raed Al-Roughani, Salman Aljarallah, Nevine Shalaby, Jaber Al-Khabouri, Anu Jacob, Jihad Inshasi, Akram Mahdawi, Ahmed Shatila and 11 more

Abstract readConsensus StatementReviewPractice Guideline
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Guideline in CNS drugs, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors.

Bassem YamoutNeurology Institute, Harley Street Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Riadh GouiderDepartment of Neurology, LR18SP03, Clinical Investigation Center "Neurosciences and Mental Health"-Razi University Hospital-Mannouba, Tunis, Tunisia.
Raed Al-RoughaniAmiri Hospital, Kuwait, Kuwait.
Salman AljarallahCollege of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Nevine ShalabyNeurology Department, Kasr Al-Ainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Jaber Al-KhabouriDepartment of Neurology, The Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
Anu JacobNeurology Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Jihad InshasiNeuroscience Department, Rashid Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Akram MahdawiBaghdad Teaching Hospital, Medical City Complex, Baghdad, Iraq.
Ahmed ShatilaNeurology Department, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Maya ZeineddineSchool of Pharmacy, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon. mzeineddine39@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-6842-5609
Sarmad Al-MashetahBaghdad Teaching Hospital, Medical City Complex, Baghdad, Iraq.
Beatrice CanibanoNeuroscience Institute, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Saeed BohlegaKing Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fatema AbdullaSalmaniya Medical Complex, Government Hospitals, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
Ilham SlassiHôpital Cheikh Khalifa Ibn Zaid, Casablanca, Morocco.
Aly HassanDepartment of Neurology, Tawam Hospital, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Sandra AhmedDepartment of Neurology, Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, Kasr Al-Ainy Hospital, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
Magd ZakariaAin Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Mohammed AlJumahKing Fahad Medical City, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Yaser Al-MalikCollege of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a severe autoimmune disorder affecting the central nervous system, often misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis. The identification of aquaporin-4-IgG (AQP4-IgG) has improved diagnostic precision and enabled targeted therapies. Given the unique regional challenges in healthcare delivery across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the Middle East and North Africa Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (MENACTRIMS) convened an expert panel to develop evidence-based, region-specific consensus recommendations for diagnosis and management. These guidelines endorse the 2015 International Panel for NMO Diagnosis (IPND) criteria, emphasizing AQP4-IgG testing via cell-based assays. Differential diagnosis should consider multiple sclerosis, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). For acute treatment: initiate high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone promptly and use plasma exchange early for severe or steroid-refractory attacks. For long-term immunotherapy, monoclonal antibodies (rituximab, inebilizumab, eculizumab, ravulizumab, satralizumab, or tocilizumab) are recommended according to availability and patient factors; conventional immunosuppressants remain alternatives when biologics are inaccessible. Guidance is provided for pediatric patients and for pregnancy and breastfeeding, including planning after ≥ 12 months of disease stability and early postpartum treatment resumption. These MENACTRIMS guidelines aim to improve NMOSD outcomes across the region by promoting accurate diagnosis and timely, effective therapy.

Indexed as

Neuromyelitis OpticaDiagnosis, DifferentialFemaleHumansImmunotherapyMyelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated DiseasePregnancy

Identifiers

PMID41591715

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.