title: Is the frequency of abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging in isolated optic neuritis related to the prevalence of multiple sclerosis? A global comparison.
abstract: The link between optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis is well established, as is the increased risk of conversion to multiple sclerosis, with lesions seen at presentation on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain. One or more asymptomatic lesions were present in 77% of the optic neuritis cohort from London, UK, a higher proportion than that reported in other large cohorts studied elsewhere, where generally lower prevalence rates for multiple sclerosis are also reported. These observations may support the hypothesis that optic neuritis is more likely to be associated with abnormalities on MRI and to be due to multiple sclerosis in geographical regions where multiple sclerosis is more common.
authors.affiliation: NMR Research Unit, Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, UK. j.swanton@ion.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Swanton
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fernando
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Miszkiel
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Plant
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence