For conditions that affect the brain and nervous system, the wrong diagnosis can lead to treatment that can actually cause harm. That’s the case with a rare condition called NMO, short for neuromyelitis optica, also known as Devic’s Disease. Symptoms of NMO are similar to those of multiple sclerosis (MS). Both diseases may share similar clinical features; however, treatment options significantly differ between the two.

There are an estimated 4,000 people with NMO in the United States and a quarter-million people worldwide, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The major difference between the two diseases is that with MS, the body’s immune system attacks the outside layer of nerve cells, and although NMO also attacks the immune system, the attack is focused only on the optic nerve and spinal cord.

Both NMO and MS include symptoms such as weakness, paralysis and loss of bladder or bowel control. And although both conditions can cause lesions, or “scars,” on the spinal cord and brain, the location is slightly different. Though there is no cure today, symptoms can improve with the right care. Without it, damage can be permanent.

“It’s not uncommon for patients with NMO to be misdiagnosed as having MS. And sometimes it is only diagnosed properly after having undergone several failed treatments for MS,” says Karen Nater Pinero, MD, a Cleveland Clinic Florida neurologist. “But NMO is a completely different disease, and treatments for MS can make them worse.”

To prevent misdiagnosis of NMO from happening, Cleveland Clinic Florida neurologists are helping educate both physicians and patients about the disease. Through accurate diagnosis, the sometimes-devastating symptoms of NMO, which include blindness and paralysis, can be addressed appropriately.

About five years ago, Cleveland Clinic Florida began offering a screening test that can identify NMO and rule out MS, but even this test isn’t accurate about a third of the time, Dr. Nater Pineiro says. “It takes careful consideration, knowledge of the most recent research, and retesting to come to the right diagnosis.”

She encourages people with NMO or those with MS who aren’t improving to look for a medical center with specialists in diagnosis, prevention and long-term recovery. “That’s what we have here,” she says. “And our patients appreciate that it’s all in one place.”