scholarly journals Optic neuritis incidence is increased in spring months in patients with asymptomatic demyelinating lesions

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantin E Balashov ◽  
Gian Pal ◽  
Michael L Rosenberg

Optic neuritis (ON) patients can be divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of asymptomatic demyelinating lesions (ADLs) on brain MRI. The presence of ADLs is associated with an increased risk of progression to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS). The clinical data and brain MRI of 110 patients with acute unilateral ON were analyzed. Patients with ADLs had a significantly higher incidence of ON in spring months as compared with patients with no ADLs (p = 0.0024). Increased incidence of ON in spring months was seen in patients with ADLs whether or not they were diagnosed with CDMS on follow-up.

Author(s):  
Syed Faraz Kazim ◽  
Muhammad Islam ◽  
Mustafa Khan ◽  
Bilal Hameed ◽  
Saad Shafqat

Background and objective:Optic neuritis (ON) is associated with a 38% ten-year risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in Western populations, but the corresponding risk in non-Western populations is unclear. We conducted this study to estimate the risk of progression to MS after an episode of ON in a South Asian population.Methods:Two hundred and fifty-three patients with idiopathic ON were identified by reviewing records of visual evoked potentials and chart notes from a single academic center spanning the years 1990-2007. A structured telephone interview was then conducted to identify patients who had subsequently received a diagnosis of MS. The diagnosis was corroborated from chart notes, where possible. Cumulative probability of conversion to MS was calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.Results:The five-year risk of developing MS was 14.6% and the ten-year risk was 24%. Patients (N=218) who had one or more typical demyelinating lesions on baseline brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) had a 68% 10-year risk; those with no lesions or non-typical lesions had a 14% risk (p<0.001). Female gender, recurrent ON, and occurrence of ON in winter months were also associated with increased risk (p≤ 0.001). Severity of ON and likelihood of detecting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) oligoclonal bands were higher in patients who developed MS.Conclusion:Idiopathic ON in Pakistan carries a lower risk of progression to MS compared with Western data. As in Western populations, however, presence of abnormal baseline brain MRI and CSF oligoclonal bands correlate with increased MS risk.


2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 690-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa M Villar ◽  
Mercedes Espiño ◽  
Ernesto Roldán ◽  
Nieves Marín ◽  
Lucienne Costa-Frossard ◽  
...  

Clinically isolated syndrome patients (CIS) with oligoclonal IgG bands (OCGB) are at high risk for clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the outcome for individual patients is unpredictable and the search for reliable blood markers predicting early conversion to multiple sclerosis (MS) has clinical relevance. CD5+ B cells (CD5+Bc) are involved in some autoimmune diseases. This study investigated whether high blood CD5+Bc percentage can predict CIS conversion to MS. Fifty-five consecutive CIS showing OCGB were prospectively studied. Every patient underwent a brain MRI study and a flow cytometry analysis of CD5+Bc percentage. Conversion to MS was studied during follow-up. The CD5+Bc percentage was assessed in 40 controls and a cut-off value of 3.5% (mean + 2 SD) was calculated. A blood CD5+Bc percentage above this value predicted earlier conversion to MS in the whole group (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.40; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.69–6.68; p = 0.0005) and in CIS patients fulfilling three or more Barkhof–Tintoré criteria plus OCGB, who showed higher risk for MS (HR: 3.79; 95% CI: 1.86–15.32; p = 0.0018). Multivariate analysis also showed a predictive value for high blood CD5+Bc count (HR: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.9–9.5; p < 0.0001). It was concluded that high percentages of CD5+Bc independently associate with increased risk of early conversion to MS in CIS patients with OCGB and Barkhof–Tintoré criteria.


2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Ghezzi ◽  
C Pozzilli ◽  
M Liguori ◽  
M G Marrosu ◽  
N Milani ◽  
...  

Fifty-four subjects (36 females and 18 males) affected by clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS) and with onset of the disease at 15 years of age or before were prospectively studied in five Italian MS centres. Female/male ratio was 4.7 in subjects with age ≥12 years, suggesting a role of hormonal changes in triggering MS onset. The mean follow-up duration was 10.9-5.6 years. The functional systems more frequently involved at onset were the pyramidal and brainstem (both in 28% of cases). The onset was monosymptomatic in 31 subjects (57%). The course was relapsing-remitting in 39 subjects (72%) and relapsing-progressive in 15 (28%). Disability was assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS): the mean score after 8 years of follow up was 3.5 (-2.5). The score was <4 in 68% of cases, between 4 and 6 in 8% of cases, > 6 in 24% of cases. Disability after 8 years was highly predicted by disability in the first year (p=0.008). There was a tendency to a worse prognosis in relation to the number of relapses in the first 2 years (p=0.08). The outcome was not influenced by the characteristics of symptoms at onset, age and gender.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 974-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roos M van der Vuurst de Vries ◽  
Jan JA van den Dorpel ◽  
Julia Y Mescheriakova ◽  
Tessel F Runia ◽  
Naghmeh Jafari ◽  
...  

Background: Fatigue is reported by more than 75% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. In an earlier study, we showed that fatigue is not only a common symptom in patients at time of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS; fatigued 46%) but also predicts subsequent diagnosis of clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS). The course of fatigue after CIS is unknown. Objective: We aimed to explore the long-term course of fatigue after CIS. Methods: In this study, 235 CIS patients, aged 18–50 years, were prospectively followed. Patients filled in the Krupp’s Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at baseline and annually. After reaching CDMS diagnosis, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was obtained annually. Mixed-effects models were used to analyse longitudinal FSS measurements. Results: Fatigue at baseline was an independent predictor for CDMS diagnosis (hazard ratio (HR): 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.6–4.4). The evolution of FSS was the same in CIS patients who remained monophasic and patients who were diagnosed with CDMS during follow-up. However, FSS increased by 0.86 units after reaching CDMS diagnosis ( p = 0.01). After this increase, the FSS course remained unaltered ( p = 0.44). Conclusion: Fatigue, which is often present at time of CIS, probably persists over time and increases after a second attack.


2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1026-1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Di Pauli ◽  
M Reindl ◽  
R Ehling ◽  
F Schautzer ◽  
C Gneiss ◽  
...  

Background Cigarette smoking increases the risk for development of multiple sclerosis and modifies the clinical course of the disease. In this study, we determined whether smoking is a risk factor for early conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis after a clinically isolated syndrome. Methods We included 129 patients with a clinically isolated syndrome, disseminated white-matter lesions on brain magnetic resonance imaging, and positive oligoclonal bands in the cerebrospinal fluid. The patients’ smoking status was obtained at the time of the clinically isolated syndrome. Results During a follow-up time of 36 months, 75% of smokers but only 51% of non-smokers developed clinically definite multiple sclerosis, and smokers had a significantly shorter time interval to their first relapse. The hazard ratio for progression to clinically definite multiple sclerosis was 1.8 (95% confidence interval, 1.2–2.8) for smokers compared with non-smokers ( P = 0.008). Conclusions Smoking is associated with an increased risk for early conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis after a clinically isolated syndrome, and our results suggest that smoking is an independent but modifiable risk factor for disease progression of multiple sclerosis. Therefore, it should be considered in the counseling of patients with a clinically isolated syndrome.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-15
Author(s):  
Sadegh Izadi ◽  
◽  
Meysam Ahmadi ◽  
Maryam Poursadeghfard ◽  
◽  
...  

Background: Clinical course of Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) is variable, and identifying patients who will eventually develop Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is essential. Objectives: To assess the conversion rate of CIS to Clinically Definite Multiple Sclerosis (CDMS) and its predictors in southern Iran. Materials & Methods: A total of 143 CIS patients registered to Fars Multiple Sclerosis Society (FMSS) were enrolled in the study from 2006 until 2012, and all of them were followed for 5 years. Also, their demographic and MRI data were recorded. The obtained data were analyzed by univariate and multivariable Cox regression models in SPSS v. 17. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: About 26.6% of patients progressed to MS after a mean duration of 3.4±1.1 years. The conversion rate was 27.6% in patients presented with optic neuritis, and 25.6% in patients presented with spinal cord problems. Although it was not statistically significant (P=0.23), the mean age of the patients who converted to MS was lower at the onset of the presentation (27.6 vs. 29.4 years). In patients who had 3 or more MRI lesions, the conversion rate was 49.2%; however, it was only 9.8% in subjects who had fewer than 3 lesions (OR=8.95, 95% CI=3.69–21.7, P <0.001). Women had higher conversion rate though it was not statistically significant (OR=2.09, 95% CI=0.57–7.64, P=0.26). Conclusion: Our results supported this supposition that the number of MRI lesions at baseline can be used as a predictor of CIS conversion to MS.


1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
J L Frederiksen

To discuss the implications of CSF abnormalities for the course of acute monosymptomatic optic neuritis (AMON), various CSF markers were analysed in patients being randomly selected from a population-based cohort. Paired serum and CSF were obtained within a few weeks from onset of AMON. CSF-restricted oligoclonal IgG bands, free kappa and free lambda chain bands were observed in 17, 15, and nine of 27 examined patients, respectively. Sixteen patients showed a polyspecific intrathecal synthesis of oligoclonal IgG antibodies against one or more viruses. At 1 year follow-up five patients had developed clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS); all had CSF oligoclonal IgG bands and virus-specific oligoclonal IgG antibodies at onset. Due to the relative small number studied at the short-term follow-up, no firm conclusion of the prognostic value of these analyses could be reached. CSF Myelin Basic Protein-like material was increased in only two of 29 patients with AMON, but may have potential value in reflecting disease activity, as the highest values were obtained among patients with CSF sampled soon after the worst visual acuity was reached, and among patients with severe visual impairment. In most previous studies of patients with AMON qualitative and quantitative analyses of CSF IgG had a predictive value for development of CDMS, but the results are conflicting.


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