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Multiple Sclerosis with Onset Younger Than 10 Years in Turkey

Zeynep Öztürk1, Ünsal Yılmaz2, Bahadır Konuşkan3

  • 1Department of Pediatric Neurology, Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.

Neuropediatrics
|November 29, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Early onset multiple sclerosis (MS) in children under 10 presents differently based on age at onset. Younger children (≤7 years) experience more motor symptoms and attacks, suggesting a more inflammatory disease course.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Neuroimmunology
  • Demyelinating Diseases

Background:

  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system.
  • Early Onset Multiple Sclerosis (EOMS) in children under 10 years old is rare and poorly understood.
  • Characterizing EOMS is crucial for early diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To define the demographics and clinical features of pediatric MS patients with onset before age 10.
  • To compare disease characteristics between preschool-onset (≤7 years) and school-age onset (>7 years) EOMS.
  • To understand the disease course and disability in EOMS.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of EOMS patients from 27 child neurology centers.
  • Comparison of clinical presentation and disease course between two age groups: ≤7 years and >7 years.
  • Analysis of demographic data, clinical characteristics, and disability levels.

Main Results:

  • 30 children (mean onset 8.1 years) were included; 96.7% had relapsing-remitting MS.
  • Preschool-onset EOMS (≤7 years) showed a predilection for motor symptoms (54.5%) and encephalopathy (45.5%).
  • School-age onset EOMS (>7 years) more frequently presented with brainstem (42.1%), sensory (26.3%), and optic nerve (26.3%) involvement.

Conclusions:

  • Early onset MS in children ≤7 years is associated with a higher rate of motor symptoms and increased attacks in the first year.
  • These findings suggest a potentially more inflammatory disease phenotype in the youngest EOMS cohort.
  • Age at onset significantly influences the clinical presentation of EOMS.
Abstract

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