DeMonica Amerson Learned 20-Year MS Diagnosis Was Wrong, Actually Has NMOSD
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Oct 31
DeMonica Amerson Learned 20-Year MS Diagnosis Was Wrong, Actually Has NMOSD
2 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Oct 31
Summary
A 2019 flare led DeMonica Amerson to learn that the multiple sclerosis diagnosis she had lived with since 2001 was wrong and that she actually has neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, or NMOSD.
A specialized blood test ordered by an ER neurologist during that episode, followed by specialist review and a second opinion, uncovered the rare autoimmune disease after years of treatment for MS.
Doctors say NMOSD can closely mimic MS but often causes more severe attacks affecting the optic nerves and spinal cord; unlike MS, many NMOSD patients have a detectable antibody in blood.
Large studies cited by Cleveland Clinic's Robert Bermel found 15% to 20% of people diagnosed with MS are later found not to have it, a risk new 2025 diagnostic criteria aim to reduce.
Now 46, Amerson says Uplizna infusions are working well and has shifted her advocacy from MS fundraising toward raising awareness of NMOSD and misdiagnosis.