Optic neuritis in German children: clinical findings and association with multiple sclerosis

PURPOSE: Analysis of a cohort of pediatric optic neuritis patients concerning the epidemiology, disease progression, and association with multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: Retrospective, observational cohort study. From 2004 to 2018, all electronic medical files of patients younger than 18 years referred to a tertiary care clinic in Germany with the diagnosis optic neuritis have been analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients were referred in the study period, 16 did not suffer under optic neuritis and were excluded. The median visual acuity of the remaining 53 patients was 0.07 at the baseline examination and 1.0 at the latest follow-up examination (decimal notation, median 2.1 years after baseline). Forty-two percent of the patients developed MS during the study period. Female sex (p = 0.028) as well as higher age (p = 0.0082) proved to be statistically significant risk factors for MS development. CONCLUSION: The prognosis for restoring vision in pediatric optic neuritis was favorable. During the observation period, the risk of developing MS was overall 42% and 8% for patients younger than 11 years. The percentage of MS as underlying cause of optic neuritis does not differ remarkably between children older 10 years and adults.