Sarcoidosis associated with neuromyelitis optica

Abstract Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune disorder diagnosed by an elongated spinal cord lesion associated with unilateral or bilateral optic neuritis and anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4) antibodies in the serum. It is triggered by or associated with several autoimmune diseases, but not with sarcoidosis. It responds to immunomodulators better than to steroid treatment. Sarcoidosis is an autoimmune disorder which manifests as non-caseating granulomas, usually in the lung parenchyma, but also in other tissues, including the brain. The involvement of the central nervous system in neurosarcoidosis differs considerably from that in neuromyelitis optica and the association of these two diseases concurrently in the same patient is unusual.