March 14, 2023
Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University
Chiba University Hospital
Keio University School of Medicine
Shizuoka Graduate University of Public Health
We conducted the first nationwide epidemiological survey of MOG antibody-associated disease in Japan.
The estimated number of patients was 1,695 (764 male, 931 female), the crude prevalence rate was 1.34 per 100,000 population (1.24 for males, 1.44 for females), and the crude incidence rate was 0.39 per 100,000 population.
Females were slightly more affected, accounting for 53.5% of cases, and the median age of onset was 28 years. At initial onset, optic neuritis accounted for 30–40% of cases, while ADEM was more common in juvenile-onset cases, and encephalitis, brainstem encephalitis, and myelitis were more common in adult-onset cases. 53.5% of patients experienced a relapse, and immunotherapy was effective in a high percentage of cases.
These results are consistent with reports from Europe and the United States, suggesting that MOG antibody-associated disease is a uniform disorder with no racial or regional differences worldwide.
This study is an important report for promoting the future designation of this condition as an intractable disease, securing insurance coverage for MOG antibody testing, and developing new treatments.
Research on myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disease has advanced rapidly in recent years, and it is becoming established as a new central nervous system autoimmune disease. This was prompted by the discovery of MOG antibodies in the serum or cerebrospinal fluid of some patients with central nervous system demyelinating diseases who were previously diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), or neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). However, no nationwide epidemiological survey had been conducted in Japan, and details such as the number of patients, laboratory findings, treatments, and their efficacy remained unknown.
A research group led by Professor Ichiro Nakashima and Lecturer Masashi Nakamura of the Department of Geriatric Neurology, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University School of Medicine, conducted a nationwide epidemiological survey of MOG antibody-associated disease in a joint study with Chiba University, Keio University, and Shizuoka Graduate University of Public Health. They estimated the number of patients, crude prevalence, and crude incidence, and also compiled and analyzed data on onset phenotypes, findings from blood tests and MRI scans, treatment details and their efficacy, and prognosis.
This study is an important report for promoting the future designation of this condition as an intractable disease, securing insurance coverage for MOG antibody testing, and developing new treatments. The results of this research were published in the online edition of the Multiple Sclerosis Journal on March 10, 2023.
This research was conducted under the Research Project on Overcoming Intractable Diseases of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as the project "Validation of evidence-based diagnostic criteria, severity classification, and guidelines for neuroimmunological diseases and patient QOL" (Principal Investigator: Dr. Satoshi Kuwabara, Chiba University), and was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (20FC1030).
The full press release is available below.