Contrasting disease patterns in seropositive and seronegative neuromyelitis optica: A multicentre study of 175 patients

Table 1 Comparison of demographic features according to the patients' AQP4-Ab serostatus.

	Seropositive	Seronegative	p-level
Sex ratio (male:female)
All patients	1:10.4; N = 137	1:1.9; N = 38	p < 0.0003^‡
Patients meeting Wingerchuk's 2006 criteria	1:9.2; N = 92	1:2; N = 27	p < 0.006^‡
Age at onset (median, range; N)
All patients	40 (10-81; N = 137)	38.5 (14-67; N = 38)	n.s.^§
Patients meeting Wingerchuk's 2006 criteria	36 (10-79; N = 92)	37 (14-63; N = 27)	n.s.^§
Cases of death, attack-related	5/137 (3.6%)°	0/38 (0%)	n.s.^‡

°See results section for causes of death. Four additional patients died from non-attack related causes: One developed sepsis following plasma exchange; another patient with a history of autonomic dysfunction with bradycardia and recent femoral vein thrombosis died from cardiovascular failure 3 days after the second infusion with rituximab [80]; one patient died from voluntary refusal of nutrition and hydration after a severe attack of cervical myelitis that had left her tetraplegic; and one died from an accident. ^‡Fisher's exact test (2-tailed). ^§Mann Whitney U test. N = number of patients; n.s. = not significant.

ISSN: 1742-2094