Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have more paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) — areas of chronic active inflammation seen on MRI scans — tend to lose more brain volume over time, a new study found. These lesions were common in pediatric MS, a rare form of the disease…
Children with MS
Gadoquatrane, a contrast agent Bayer is developing for MRI scans, showed similar safety and pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles — meaning how a drug moves into, through, and out of the body — in both children and adults. That’s according to data from the Phase 3 QUANTI Pediatric study (NCT05915026),…
When Jill Blackburn’s daughter, Sierra, was diagnosed with pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) at the age of 15, Blackburn had trouble finding sufficient support and resources. She eventually joined a relevant Facebook group, which she evolved into a nonprofit organization, the Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Alliance. She now serves as…
Children and adolescents living with multiple sclerosis (MS) seem to benefit at least as much — and for some outcomes, significantly more — from Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as from treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod), now the only MS therapy approved for pediatric patients in the U.S. That’s according to…
Children and adolescents who go on to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) begin visiting the emergency department more often than their peers as early as a dozen years before their first MS symptoms appear, a new study from Canada suggests. In fact, over an 18-year period, children later diagnosed…
Most children with multiple sclerosis (MS) have chronic active lesions that slowly get bigger over time, and their frequency seems to correlate with the total number of lesions and reduced brain growth, according to a research letter. Changes in disability or cognitive scores over time, however, weren’t significantly associated…
For children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), receiving treatment with Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) or its generic formulations may reduce relapses by nearly threefold compared with Avonex (interferon beta-1a), according to data from a clinical trial. However, nearly half of patients on Copaxone and one-third of those…
Children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) experience biological aging at a faster rate than children without the disease, a study shows. “We found evidence that children living with MS experience accelerated biological aging,” Jennifer Graves, MD, PhD, senior author of the study at the University of California, San Diego,…
Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) appears to be safe and effective for children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to real-world data from Kuwait. After about 15 months of treatment, more than 90% of patients with pediatric-onset MS (POMS) remained free of relapses, and most also showed no new…
Children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to use more healthcare resources than their peers, starting from birth and escalating until the onset of their symptoms, a study reports. Young people who developed MS visited physicians earlier in life and in the six years before they first had…
New diagnostic criteria and biomarkers, how to manage MS in older patients and children, and vaccine recommendations are among topics covered in a new set of guidelines for best practices in multiple sclerosis (MS) care. The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, a network of more than 15,000 clinicians…
Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were exposed to sunlight for at least half an hour per day during the first summer of life tend to have less disease relapses than those who received less sun exposure during that period, a study found. The risk of relapse was also…
The rate of relapses in children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) tends to increase around the time that menstruation begins, a new study reports. The findings suggest hormonal changes at the onset of puberty may trigger higher disease activity. The use of oral and infusion disease-modifying therapies (DMT)…
Severe obesity during childhood and adolescence more than triples the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), and losing weight through early lifestyle changes did not decrease the likelihood of MS, according to a nationwide study in Sweden. Although the overall risk remained low, with 0.13% of people…
In the five years leading up to a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, children and adolescents often experience obesity and symptoms such as sensory disturbances and vision problems — potential early signs of MS that could help in diagnosing the condition, according to a new study. Indeed, the study reports…
Vaccination does not increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and adolescents within five years, a study found. Instead, there was a trend toward a lower risk of pediatric-onset MS in vaccinated children. This in line with earlier findings that vaccination is not a risk factor for…
Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who come from poorer families or other disadvantageous circumstances tend to have more inflammation and irreversible brain tissue loss, a new study reports. “Our findings suggest that social disadvantage in childhood can have lasting effects on MS severity,” Kimberly A. O’Neill, MD, study coauthor…
A higher intake of whole grain food is significantly associated with a lower likelihood of developing pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study led by researchers in Canada. Conversely, an overall more pro-inflammatory diet — one containing higher amounts of fats and proteins — was linked to increased…
Obesity in childhood is associated with a more than double the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in adulthood, although the overall risk is low, according to a new study. “Our study adds to the evidence that obesity in early life increases the risk for a plethora of diseases…
High-efficacy therapies given early can significantly reduce the risk of disability worsening in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly when treatment is started while patients have fairly minimal disability, according to a new study. While lower-efficacy therapies were also associated with a reduced risk of disability progression…
Treatment with rituximab, an approved CD20 inhibitor that’s sometimes used off-label for multiple sclerosis (MS), was found to adequately control the neurodegenerative disease in patients diagnosed during childhood or adolescence, a new study showed. The therapy, given by infusion into the bloodstream, was generally safe and significantly reduced…
Sweden has a consistently high incidence and prevalence of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (PoMS), according to a recently published study. Incidence measures the number of new cases identified during a certain period, while prevalence measures the proportion of people in the population with the condition. Data show the disease is…
Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who start on high-efficacy therapies experience fewer relapses and reduced MRI disease activity in the following years, compared with those who are treated first with moderate-efficacy therapies, according to a new study. Rates of severe side effects are similar for both groups, but the…
In children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), poor sleep quality is linked to fatigue, depression, and worse quality of life, a study has found. While no significant differences in sleep measures were identified between children and adolescents with MS compared with those without the neurodegenerative condition, sleep can have…
Use of high-efficacy therapies can lower the risk of disability progression in people with childhood-onset multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly if given in early disease stages when disabling symptoms are negligible. That’s according to data shared at the 9th joint meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Can noninvasive brain stimulation reduce MS spasticity? For a long time, I’ve had to deal with spasticity, a common…
Children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) who receive high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) early on are significantly less likely to experience a relapse than those given a less efficacious drug, a real-world study found. While most patients on moderate-efficacy therapies eventually switched to a more effective one, a…
Neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein levels can be used to assess neurodegeneration in children and adolescents with neurological disease, including multiple sclerosis (MS), even when they are not experiencing any symptoms, a study has found. The protein already had been established as a biomarker of disease activity and poor…
What a person eats in childhood can influence their future risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) and its clinical course, according to a recent Dutch study. A poor diet with more fast food, snacks, and candy as a child tended to be associated with a higher risk of developing…
Alterations in the levels of certain fat molecules in the bloodstream are significantly associated with a higher risk of relapse and a poorer disability status in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. It’s not yet clear if such alterations contribute to the inflammation…