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  • Study uncovers epidemiological pediatric optic neuritis data in South Korea

    Neuro-Ophthalmology/Orbit, Pediatric Ophth/Strabismus

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    Review of: Population-based Incidence of Pediatric and Adult Optic Neuritis and the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

    Lee J, Han J, Yang M, et al. Ophthalmology, March 2020

    This study assessed the prevalence and incidence of demyelinating optic neuritis and risk of multiple sclerosis in South Korea.

    Study design

    The authors used a Korean National Health Claims database to identify 44,700,564 individuals aged 65 years or younger during a 7-year period. They classified patients as pediatric (≤14 years) or adults (15–65 years).

    Outcomes

    The prevalence of optic neuritis in the pediatric population was 7.68 per 100,000 people; the incidence was 1.04 per 100,000 people. Peak prevalence was between 10 and 14 years of age. Cumulative conversion to multiple sclerosis was approximately 13.8%.

    In the adult population, the prevalence and incidence of optic neuritis was 19 and 3.29 per 100,000 adults, respectively. Conversion rate to multiple sclerosis was 11.4%.

    Limitations

    Some cases in the database might have been incorrectly diagnosed.

    Clinical significance

    This study provides important epidemiological data on pediatric optic neuritis. The incidence of optic neuritis and risk of multiple sclerosis among South Korean children are comparable to those reported in western countries.