In:
Multiple Sclerosis Journal, SAGE Publications, Vol. 17, No. 6 ( 2011-06), p. 720-724
Abstract:
Background: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) frequently begins with a monofocal episode of optic neuritis or myelitis. A concept named high-risk syndrome (HRS) for NMO has been proposed for patients with monofocal episodes and NMO-IgG antibodies. Objective: To describe HRS patients and compare them with NMO patients. Methods: We identified 30 patients with HRS: 18 with extensive myelitis (HRM) and 12 with optic neuritis (HRON), in a database pooling patients from 25 centres in France. Clinical, laboratory/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data and outcome were analysed and compared with a national cohort of 125 NMO patients extracted from the same database. Results: Mean follow-up was 4.8 years. Mean age at onset was 42.8 years (range: 12.4–70) with a female:male ratio of 0.9. Asymptomatic lesions were report on visual evoked potentials in 4/8 tested HRM patients and on spinal cord MRI in 2/7 HRON patients. Three patients died, two owing to a cervical lesion. HRS and NMO patients had similar clinical/paraclinical data, except for a predominance of men in the HRS group and a later mean age at onset in the HRM subgroup. Conclusion: The description of HRS patients is compatible with a monofocal form of NMO. Asymptomatic lesions could be included in a new set of NMO diagnostic criteria.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1352-4585
,
1477-0970
DOI:
10.1177/1352458510396923
Language:
English
Publisher:
SAGE Publications
Publication Date:
2011
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2008225-3
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