Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics of Recurrent Optic Neuritis; Comparison with Monophasic Optic Neuritis

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although relapses are known to be common in optic neuritis, there are only a few follow-up studies concerning recurrent optic neuritis. The aim of this study is to characterize the difference between monophasic and recurrent optic neuritis by analyzing clinical and laboratory spectrums of index event. METHODS: We performed a partially retrospective and prospective cohort study of patients with optic neuritis. The patients with optic neuritis were included by review of their medical records and neuroimaging studies and then followed up for the relapses of optic neuritis. Excluded were those who showed any evidence of multiple sclerosis, and those with prior demyelinating attacks. RESULTS: Thirteen of 43 enrolled patients had a recurrent optic neuritis during a mean (SD) follow up period of 58.0 (21.2) months, yielding a 5-year cumulative rate of recurrence of 39.5 percent. The patients who had CSF pleocytosis were more likely to develop a recurrent attacks (P<0.05), but neither clinical findings nor the other laboratory results appeared to influence recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that this disorder have a distinctive feature in terms of relapse and CSF pleocytosis compared with monophasic optic neuritis.