Multiple sclerosis in the elderly: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: There is a lack of knowledge of disease course, prognosis, comorbidities and potential treatments of elderly MS patients.

Objective: To characterize the disease course including disability progression and relapses, to quantify the use of DMTs and to identify comorbidities and risk factors for progression in elderly multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of 1200 Austrian MS patients older than 55 years as of May 1st, 2017 representing roughly one-third of all the MS patients of this age in Austria.

Susac's syndrome: clinical course and epidemiology in a Central European population.

Objective: Susac's syndrome is characterized by inflammation and occlusion of pre-capillary arterioles with the clinical triad of branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO), encephalopathy and hearing loss. No epidemiological data are available for the disease.

Methods: All neurology departments in Austria were addressed to report adult patients who were on immunosuppressive treatment for a diagnosis of Susac's syndrome between 1 August 2010 and 1 August 2015.

Neuromyelitis optica in Austria in 2011: to bridge the gap between neuroepidemiological research and practice in a study population of 8.4 million people.

Background: In 2008 the Austrian Task Force for Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) started a nation-wide network for information exchange and multi-centre collaboration. Their aim was to detect all patients with NMO or NMO spectrum disorders (NMO-SD) in Austria and to analyse their disease courses and response to treatment.

Methods: (1) As of March 2008, 1957 serum samples (of 1557 patients) have been tested with an established cell based immunofluorescence aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-ab) assay with a high sensitivity and specificity (both >95%).