title: [Clinical characteristics of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the demographic, risk factors and clinical characteristics of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and provide clinical guidance for this blindness disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study was used to investigate the data, which consists of 96 NAION consecutive patients in neurology department of our hospital from 2005 to 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average age of NAION patients is 50.90 +/- 8.88 years (range, 34 - 78 years) and the median is 50 y. About 68.8% of patients are male. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and abnormal lipid level is 34.4% (33/96), 29.2% (21/96) and 59.4% (57/93) respectively. The predominant patterns of visual field loss are altitudinal and accurate defects. Visual acuity was improved (change of >/= 3 lines) in 44.4% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The age of onset in NAION is relatively early in life, compared with cerebral vascular disease, and male seems to have a high incidence. The most common risk factor is metabolic syndrome. Subcortical and periventricular white matter lesions and myocardial ischemia might associate with NAION. Visual acuity showed improvement in some patients, but the long outcome is poor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Tongren Hospital, Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Guo-Hong
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Chang-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xiao-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D008875:Middle Aged; D018917:Optic Neuropathy, Ischemic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity