The study investigated patients with symptoms suggestive for a demyelinating disease who were diagnosed with CIS in the time from 2010 to 2015 at the Department of Neurology of the Hannover Medical School. Patients diagnosed with MS according to the McDonald criteria of 2010 were not included. This group of CIS patients with baseline characteristics was identified in a previous study [16 (link)]. In the underlying study, follow-up clinical and MRI parameters were analysed to identify patients who develop MS. The aim of the study was to identify risk factors for developing MS that were evaluated at baseline examination with special interest on CSF parameters and visual evoked potentials.
Of 189 patients diagnosed with CIS in the time from 2010 to 2015, follow-up data was available for 125 patients (66%). In three patients, an alternative diagnosis for the initial clinical episode appeared during follow-up (keratoconus, keratoectasia, pseudotumor cerebri) and therefore these patients were excluded. Two other patients were not included due to death caused by brain tumor and brain bleeding.
MS mimicking diseases such as connective tissue diseases and infectious diseases were excluded by laboratory testing (antinuclear antibodies, anti-DNA antibodies, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, antiphospholipid antibodies, HIV, antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi, antibodies to Treponema pallidum). Baseline clinical data, CSF findings, and MRI of the brain were available for all of the patients. Follow-up data included information about the clinical course with further relapses and MRI results for all patients.
This investigation was approved by the institutional ethics committee of the Hannover Medical School (No. 7483, 23 May 2017).
Of 189 patients diagnosed with CIS in the time from 2010 to 2015, follow-up data was available for 125 patients (66%). In three patients, an alternative diagnosis for the initial clinical episode appeared during follow-up (keratoconus, keratoectasia, pseudotumor cerebri) and therefore these patients were excluded. Two other patients were not included due to death caused by brain tumor and brain bleeding.
MS mimicking diseases such as connective tissue diseases and infectious diseases were excluded by laboratory testing (antinuclear antibodies, anti-DNA antibodies, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, antiphospholipid antibodies, HIV, antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi, antibodies to Treponema pallidum). Baseline clinical data, CSF findings, and MRI of the brain were available for all of the patients. Follow-up data included information about the clinical course with further relapses and MRI results for all patients.
This investigation was approved by the institutional ethics committee of the Hannover Medical School (No. 7483, 23 May 2017).
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