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Objective To investigate the incidence,treatment,therapeutic effect,and impact on quality of life of pain-depression comorbidity in the patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder(NMOSD).Methods The NMOSD patients comorbid with pain visiting the out-patient clinic of Peking Union Medical College Hospital were interviewed in a face-to-face manner by neurologists for evaluating the neurologic disease.Pain,depression,and quality of life were evaluated by anesthesiologists based on the brief pain inventory,the Beck depression inventory-Ⅱ,and the MOS 36-item short form health survey scales,respectively.Results Totally 81 patients were included in this study,among which 38(46.9%)patients comorbid with depression were enrolled in the comorbidity group.The pain severity showed no significant difference between the two groups(3.3±3.1 vs. 2.3±2.2, P =0.087).The daily life activities and health-related quality of life were more severely influenced in the patients with comorbidity than in the patients without comorbidity as illustrated by the breif pain inventory[general activity and normal work( P =0.001);mood,relationship with other people,and enjoyment of life(all P <0.001);walking ability( P =0.004);sleep( P =0.016)]and the MOS 36-item short form health survey scales[physical functioning( P =0.001);role-physical,bodily pain,general health,vitality,social functioning,role-emotional,mental health(all P <0.001)].Only 30.9% of pain sufferers received analgesic medications,with the mean pain reduction percentage of(53.6±28.9)%.None of the patients in this study took antidepressants.Conclusions Pain-depression comorbidity was common in NMOSD patients and severely influenced the quality of life of the patients.However,only a few patients received analgesic or antidepressant medications.Pain-depression comorbidity in NMOSD patients should be scrutinized.