Symptoms

Symptoms

MOGAD attacks cause swelling in your CNS. If the swelling interrupts nerve signals from your brain, it can cause symptoms. MOGAD symptoms often begin over hours to days. The symptoms you experience depend on where the swelling is in your CNS.

Swelling in your optic nerve (optic neuritis) causes:

  • Eye pain (often gets worse with eye movement)
  • Blurred vision or loss of vision in one or both eyes
  • Colors that look less bright, often most noticeable with red

Swelling in your spinal cord (transverse myelitis) causes:

  • Weakness in the arms or legs
  • Numbness or tingling
  • Trouble walking
  • Problems controlling your bladder or bowels

Swelling in your brain and spinal cord (acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or ADEM) causes:

  • Confusion or unusual sleepiness
  • Headaches
  • Seizures
  • Weakness or trouble walking

Swelling in your brainstem or cerebellum can cause:

  • Double vision or vertigo (a spinning feeling)
  • Trouble swallowing or speaking
  • Poor balance
Always seek urgent medical care for new vision loss, weakness, confusion or seizures.

Symptoms often develop rapidly and can be severe. MOGAD often has the same symptoms as multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica.