Prevalence of pediatric and adult optic neuritis in the United States from 2016 to 2023.

Background/objectives: Data on the prevalence of optic neuritis (ON) is limited with reported rates between 5.5 and 115.3 per 100,000. The US data is even more limited with the largest study performed in a single county, finding a prevalence of 115.3. This study aims to fill the gap in US data on ON.

Methods: This (2016-2023) cross-sectional study included patients with ICD-10 codes of retrobulbar neuritis, other ON, unspecified ON, and excluded those with optic papillitis, nutritional optic neuropathy, toxic optic neuropathy. Data was collected through a series of queries in a large platform (TriNetX, LLC) containing EHR data from over 113 million patients.

Results: In 2023, the prevalence of ON was 51.6 per 100,000 people in the overall population. Females had a 1.31 (95% CI, 1.27-1.36) increased odds of disease compared to males. Investigating racial and ethnic breakdown, the highest prevalence was found in the Black population (57.8/100,000) (OR 1.06 (1.01-1.10)), followed by the White (54.7/100,000) (REF) and then Hispanic or Latino populations (45.8/100,000) (OR 0.84 (0.79-0.89)) in 2023. Stratified by age, those ages 45-54 had the highest prevalence (71.3/100,000). The prevalence of ON increased 1.08 (1.05-1.10) times from 2016-2023, with the greatest increase seen in the Hispanic population. Significant increases in prevalence were also seen in the 0-14, 15-24, and 25-34 age groups.

Discussion: Racial, ethnic and sex disparities are apparent in the distribution of ON, with Black individuals and females affected most often, and an increasing prevalence seen in the Hispanic population. Younger subpopulations also demonstrated significant increases, warranting additional investigation.