This article describes the association between previous infection and/or vaccination and the development of optic neuritis (ON) in 18 children.
Vaccination preceded the first ON attack in 6 patients, all but one of whom subsequently developed MS [multiple sclerosis]. It also preceded subsequent demyelinating events in 6 patients.
Measles and mumps occurred at a significantly later age in the children who subsequently developed MS than in the control children, and these patients had significantly more events that might have impaired the blood-brain barrier than the controls.
These results indicate that immunological events leading to MS may be triggered during childhood. Vaccination and infection often precede ON in childhood.