PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Olwen C. Murphy
AU  - Loulwah Mukharesh
AU  - Andrea Salazar-Camelo
AU  - Carlos A. Pardo
AU  - Scott D. Newsome
TI  - Early factors associated with later conversion to multiple sclerosis in patients presenting with isolated myelitis
AID  - 10.1136/jnnp-2020-325274
DP  - 2021 Aug 01
TA  - Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
PG  - 831--838
VI  - 92
IP  - 8
4099  - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/92/8/831.short
4100  - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/92/8/831.full
SO  - J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry2021 Aug 01; 92
AB  - Objective To identify early clinical and paraclinical factors that may help predict later conversion to multiple sclerosis (MS) in patients presenting with isolated myelitis (ie, ‘transverse myelitis’ without clinical or radiological evidence of inflammation/demyelination elsewhere in the central nervous system).Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we included patients with isolated myelitis who were followed clinically and radiologically at our specialised myelopathy clinic. We excluded patients with MS at the onset, aquaporin-4-IgG seropositivity, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-IgG seropositivity or other identified aetiology. Logistic regression was used to identify factors predictive of conversion to MS (defined by the 2017 McDonald criteria).Results We included 100 patients, followed for a median of 4.3 years. Conversion to MS occurred in 25 of 77 patients (32%) with short-segment myelitis (longest lesion spanning <3 vertebral segments on MRI) as compared with 0 of 23 patients (0%) with longitudinally extensive myelitis (p=0.002). Among patients with short-segment myelitis, factors identified as highly predictive of conversion to MS using multivariate logistic regression included cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-restricted oligoclonal bands (OCB) (OR (OR) 9.2, 95% CI 2.1 to 41.0, p=0.004), younger age (OR 1.1 for each year younger, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.1, p=0.04) and longer follow-up (OR 1.3 for each year longer, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.6, p=0.04). Conversion to MS occurred at a median of 2.8 years after myelitis onset.Conclusions Short-segment MRI cord lesion(s), CSF-restricted OCB, younger age and longer follow-up are all factors predictive of conversion to MS in patients presenting with isolated myelitis.No data are available. Data for this study cannot be shared due to IRB-restrictions related to patient confidentiality.