March 10, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD MS Australia supporting work into how diet might affect pediatric MS MS AustraliaĀ is funding a study by researchers at Curtin University into how diet might affectĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) onset in children. Led by Eleanor Dunlop, PhD, a dietitian and postdoctoral researcher at the Perth university’s School of Population Health, the study will investigate the influence different types of…
October 31, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #ECTRIMS2022 ā Relapse-free Progression Evident in Pediatric MS Disability progression in the absence of relapses is less common in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) than among people with adult-onset disease, according to data covering more than 5,000 patients with relapsing forms of MS. Nevertheless, this form of progression ā called progression independent of relapse activity,…
July 12, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Aubagio May Significantly Lower Relapse Risk in Children With MS Treatment with Aubagio (teriflunomide) may significantly reduce the risk of relapse in children with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new analysis of the TERIKIDS clinical trial that took into account data from adult trials. Results wereĀ in the paper “Reinterpreting Clinical Trials in Children With…
May 18, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Gilenya, Tysabri Show Superiority at Preventing Relapses in Children Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tysabri (natalizumab) were more effective at lowering relapse rates in children with multiple sclerosis (MS) than interferon-beta, according to a recent meta-analysis. Findings like these can be leveraged for better clinical trial design, the researchers wrote. If used to determine “historical” relapse rates that…
April 27, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AAN2022 ā For Children With MS, Symptoms May Predict Future Disability Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who in their first year after disease onset experience pyramidal symptoms, such as spasticity or weakness, visual problems, or show signs of cerebellum involvement like poorer coordination are more likely to have worse long-term disability, an analysis of registry data indicates. The analysis also…
September 14, 2021 News by Mary Chapman MS Trust Welcomes School Year With ‘Awareness Pack’ for Children The MS Trust has put together a free School Awareness Pack aimed at raising the profile of multiple sclerosis (MS) and dispelling some common disease misunderstandings in schools. Designed for teachers, school staff members, and students, the pack consists of information about MS and the U.K. patient…
June 15, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS FDA Rejects Expansion of Aubagio for Pediatric MS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected an application requesting the expansion of Aubagio (teriflunomide) for the treatment of children and adolescents, ages 10 to 17, with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). “The FDA deemed the data submitted were not sufficient to obtain approval of…
February 1, 2021 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Pediatric MS, Rituximab, AHSCT, Zeposia Tecfidera Safe and Effective Over Long Term in Children With RRMS, Trial Shows In my view, too little attention has been paid to treating children and teens with MS between the ages of 10 and 18. Though things seem to be improving, only one disease-modifying therapy, Novartisā Gilenya (fingolimod),…
January 29, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Tecfidera Safe and Effective Over Long Term in Children With RRMS, Trial Shows Long-term treatment with TecfideraĀ (dimethyl fumarate)Ā safely and effectively reduces the frequency of relapses in children with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to 2.5 years of data from the FOCUS Phase 2 trial and its extension study. These findings are consistent with those previously reported for adult patients, supporting…
October 14, 2020 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Caregivers of Youth With MS, Other Ills Invited to Survey on Mental Health Access to mental health services for children with a rare disease or other medical or mental health disorder is the focus of an online survey by therapists at Childrenās Friend, an affiliate of theĀ Seven Hills Foundation. The foundation, based in Worcester, Massachusetts, runs a variety of programs through…
October 2, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Children With MS Do Well at School Despite Challenges, Danish Study Finds Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) perform as well at school as healthy peers, but are more challenged in their mental health and make greater use of healthcare services, according to a recent study. Psychiatric problems in these young patients are also more frequent than in children with chronic disorders…
September 16, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Long-term Aubagio Use Seen to Lower Relapse Risk for Children Continuous treatment with Aubagio (teriflunomide) can safely lower the risk of relapses and disability progression in children with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to interim data from the open-label extension of a Phase 3 trial. These findings were detailed at MSVirtual2020 by Tanuja Chitnis, MD,…
September 16, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Cognitive Problems in Children With MS Can Persist Into Adulthood Cognitive problems can persist into adulthood in people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) began in childhood or adolescence, and are linked to neurological issues and delays in treatment initiation, a study reports. Early use ofĀ disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and of approaches designed to preserve cognition should be encouraged for pediatric…
September 16, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Pediatric MS Patients May Do Best on Intravenous DMTs, Study Finds Most children and adolescents with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), especially those treated intravenously with a disease-modifying therapyĀ (DMT), achieve no evidence of disease activity within two years of diagnosis, according to a real-life study from the U.S. Patients whose DMTs are infused into a vein (intravenous treatment) areĀ more likely…
August 31, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Paramagnetic Lesions, Mavenclad, Relapses in Children, Ocrevus and Rituximab Paramagnetic Rim Lesions Showing Promise as Diagnostic Marker of MS About a year ago, researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health reported that the presence of chronic active lesions in the brain may provide a clue as to how quickly multiple sclerosis symptoms will progress. They called them…
December 12, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Pediatric MS Affects More Girls Than Boys in US, Analysis of KID Data Shows Records from theĀ Kid’s Inpatient DatabaseĀ (KID) ā the largest database of pediatric patients admitted to hospitals in the U.S. ā show that more than twice as many girls as boys were diagnosed withĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) in 2016. The data shows that 259 boys and 610 girls younger than age 18…
September 16, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Newer DMTs More Effective Than Older Injectables in Pediatric MS, Study Says Using newer disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as an initial treatment for children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is associated with fewer relapses and brain lesions compared to the use of older and injectable DMTs, according to a real-world study in the U.S.
August 23, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Rituximab Leads to ‘Dramatic’ Recovery in Boy with Aggressive RRMS, Case Study Reports Treatment with rituximabĀ ā sold as RituxanĀ in the U.S. by RocheĀ and Biogen, and asĀ MabThera byĀ Roche in Europe ā reversed disease course in a “dramatic fashion,” leading to complete remission in a 12-year-old boy with aggressiveĀ relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a case report states. The report, “…
August 1, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Rutgers Health Leading Program to Support MS Children Rutgers Health is leading the Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis and Demyelinating Diseases Program, the only program in the state of New Jersey designed specifically to support children with multiple sclerosis (MS). The support program seeks to promote children’s access to cutting-edge therapies and clinical trials, and to educate…
July 19, 2019 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Obesity May Prevent First-line MS Therapies from Working in Youngsters, Study Suggests Obesity may increase the risk for the development and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and teens, and it may prevent first-line MS therapies from working. Those findings were reported in the study āAssociation of Obesity With Multiple Sclerosis Risk and Response to First-line Disease…
June 24, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Healthcare Needs ‘Particularly High’ in Children and Teens with MS, Study Finds The burden in treating children with multiple sclerosis (MS) in terms of hospitalizations and doctor visits is extremely high, especially in the first year after diagnosis, a study from Canada reports. The study, “High rates of health care utilization in pediatric multiple sclerosis: A Canadian population-based study,”…
May 16, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM ā Gut Bacteria May Play Role in Pediatric MS, Studies Suggest As strange as it is to think about, many bacteria live in the human body, most of which are found in the gut (often referred to as the gut microbiome). These bodily roommates affect health in many ways that are only beginning to be understood.Ā …
April 30, 2019 News by Santiago Gisler Retrospective Study Analyzes Physical, Mental Differences Between Children with MS and ADS Retrospective comparison between children with multiple sclerosis (MS) and those with related acute demyelinating syndromes (ADS) highlights the implications of fatigue, depression, and quality of life in these patients. Those are the findings from a study, āFatigue, depression, and quality of life in children with multiple sclerosis: a…
March 7, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – Forum Leaders Discuss: ‘Will There Be a Cure for MS?’ It is a question that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, loved ones, and the larger community have asked for some time: “Will there be a cure for multiple sclerosis?” MS News Today had the opportunity to ask that question of leaders at theĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in…
February 14, 2019 Columns by Tamara Sellman Need to Know: Do Children Get Multiple Sclerosis? Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about multiple sclerosis? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic, “Are you a parent caregiver of a child with…
September 10, 2018 News by Janet Stewart, MSc MS in Child Considerably Affects Quality of Life for Family, Study Reports Parents of children withĀ pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) report a lower overall quality of life than those whose kids have a condition marked by demyelination but is not a chronic disease, a study reports. The lifelong nature of MS makes all the difference, it said. MonoADS, like MS, is caused by…
June 5, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #CMSC2018 ā Advances Made in Care of Children with MS, but Challenges Remain, Expert Says While the treatment and care of children and teenagers with multiple sclerosis (MS) has seen many developments in recent years, there are still many challenges to overcome, according to a presentation given by Brenda Banwell, MD. Banwell, who is the chief of child neurology at the Childrenās Hospital…
May 15, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Gilenya Approved by FDA as First DMT for Children, Ages 10 and Older, with Relapsing MS Gilenya (fingolimod) has become the first disease-modifying therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat children and adolescents with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This expanded approval allows Gilenya, previously indicated for adults patients 18 or older, to be used to treat pediatric relapsing MS…
May 14, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: An MS Program for Young Adults, Rituximab Report, Repairing Myelin, and Reducing Inflammation Organizations Join Forces to Launch New Adventure Program for Young MS Patients It seems we too often ignore the needs of younger people who have MS. (I’ve written a couple of columns about this.) This program isn’t a medical approach, but it may serve some other…
April 30, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye This Week: aHSCT Studies, MS Progression in African-Americans, Gilenya for Pediatrics #AAN2018 ā Stem Cell Transplant is Effective Treatment for āAggressiveā MS, Study Shows I like the fact that a study shows that stem cell transplant treatment is effective for aggressive MS. I love the fact that the efficacy was dramatic, reducing theĀ Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) levels…