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A family history of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) was found to significantly increase the odds of presenting with severe disease, particularly among patients with affected siblings, according to findings published in Eye. The multicenter retrospective cohort study, which involved 146 unrelated patients with RP, assessed disease severity by the width of the ellipsoid zone (EZ) on spectral domain optical coherence tomography. The initial visit revealed that the median ages of patients at onset and presentation were 40.5 and 50.1, respectively, with 28.1% of patients showing severe disease (defined as less than 5 degrees of remaining EZ width). Severe EZ loss presented in patients with affected siblings, but not affected parents, when compared with patients with no family history. Male sex, race, age, syndromic features, and socioeconomic status did not correlate with more severe disease presentation. The findings have implications for patient counseling and the number of patients who may benefit from future therapies, the study authors said.