The clinical profile of childhood optic neuritis

PURPOSE: To report the clinical features and outcome of a series of children with optic neuritis. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of patients up to 16 years old with optic neuritis. Group 1 comprised children seen up to two weeks after the onset of visual loss; Group 2 comprised patients already harboring optic atrophy. RESULTS: There were 15 boys and 12 girls. The mean age was 10.9 years. Bilateral optic neuritis occurred in 10. Optic disc pallor was found in 35%, edema in 46%, and 19% had normal fundus. During follow-up visual acuity improved in all but one eye in Group 1, and in six of seven eyes in children in Group 2. Just one child converted to multiple sclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the clinical features of childhood optic neuritis differ from those observed in adults. In children it has a better visual outcome and a lower conversion rate to multiple sclerosis than in adults.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Lana-Peixoto,Marco Aurélio, Andrade,Gustavo Cardoso de
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 2001
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2001000300001
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