April 1, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Early high-efficacy MS treatment recommended for young patients 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…
October 17, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ECTRIMS 2023: Early high-efficacy treatment helps to slow disability in pediatric-onset MS 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 disablingĀ symptoms are negligible. That’s according to data shared at the 9th joint meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and…
February 8, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Ocrevus can be safe, effective for children with active RRMS: Study Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is a safe and effective treatment for patients under 18 with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a small study from Turkey suggests. Over about 2.5 years of the treatment, these pediatric patients experienced no relapses or MRI activity, and their disability level also improved, indicating…
August 10, 2022 by BioNews Staff Expert Voices: Understanding pediatric multiple sclerosis research and care In this installment of our āExpert Voicesā series, Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked Tanuja Chitnis, MD, to answer some of your questions about pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS). Chitnis is a board-certified neurologist specializing in multiple sclerosis-related neuroimmunological disorders. Chitnis’s interest in children with MS led her to create…
April 11, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD $1M Invested in Study on Effects of Childhood-onset MS Over Time About CA$1.35 million ($1.07 million) has been invested in a project that seeks to understand the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) on a group of people with pediatric-onset disease as they move into adulthood. The three-year investment was from Biogen Canada and Roche Canada ā each providing about…
December 13, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Higher Sunlight Exposure Tied to Reduced MS Risk in Children Children and young adults who spend more time outdoors in the sunshine are less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study, which suggests that sunshine might help to protect against the disease. “Advising regular time in the sun of at least 30 minutes daily especially…
July 29, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Brain Structures Tied to Worse Memory in Pediatric-onset MS People who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) in childhood have more difficulty recognizing words and faces than healthy individuals, a small study found. The volume of certain structures of the limbic system ā a part of the brain involved in memory and emotion ā is smaller in those with MS,…
June 22, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD MS-related Fatigue Strongly Affects Youngsters’ Functioning Multiple sclerosis and its associated fatigue negatively affect school performance, mental health, and physical and social functioning in children and adolescents with the disease, according to a review study. Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) also was associated with negative effects on social functioning, mental health, and quality of life in…
June 9, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Meaningful Cognitive Gains in Pediatric MS Captured Using Pencil-Paper Test A computer-based training program that exercises distinct components of attention and working memory can improve cognition in young people with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), a new study indicates. Findings also support a common pencil-and-paper measure of cognition, called the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), in detecting clinically meaningful changes…
April 7, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Pediatric-onset MS Tied to Fewer School Years, Lower Income in Adulthood People who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) as children are more likely to attain lower education levels, earn less in the workplace, and be more reliant on disability benefits later in life, new research shows. These findings were published inĀ JAMA Neurology, in the study, “Long-term Socioeconomic…
February 26, 2021 News by Forest Ray PhD #ACTRIMS2021 – 30 Minutes in Sun Each Day Lowers MS Risk in Children Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today news team is providing in-depth and unparalleled coverage of the virtual ACTRIMS Forum 2021, Feb. 25ā27. GoĀ hereĀ to see all the latest stories from the conference. Spending more time in the summer sun and living in generally sunnier places appears to provide protection against…
December 10, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Children With MS Recover Better From Relapses Than Adults, Study Suggests Despite having more severe first and second relapses, children with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) tend to recover better than adults with the disease, according to a study. Better recovery in children may be linked to the activation of genes that, in turn, impair the activation of immune cells driving…
April 10, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD HLA-DRB1 Gene Variants Seen to Influence Risk, Activity of Pediatric-onset MS A variant of the HLA-DRB1 geneĀ āĀ called HLA-DRB1*03 āĀ appears to predispose people to developingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) in childhood, and to correlate with greater disease activity among those who do, a study in Greek patients suggests. The research also points to a protective role of one other variant of this…
March 15, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias Pediatric MS Can Be āDiagnostic Odyssey’ A post in one of the MS social media groups I follow recently asked whether kids can have MS. The writer was worried about her 3-year-old. One commenter replied that her son was diagnosed when he was 9. But, she wrote, his symptoms actually began to appear when he…
March 4, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: New DMT, Stem Cell Trial, Pediatric MS Treatment Study FDA Will Review New Drug Application of Diroximel Fumarate for Relapsing Forms of MS The good news: Another disease-modifying therapy (DMT) has taken a step toward approval in the U.S. The discouraging news: It’s another DMT designed to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. More than a…
November 5, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Ocrevus in the UK, Environmental Triggers, PPMS Research NICE Postpones Final Opinion on Adding Ocrevus to Public Health System for PPMS Patients in UK This last-minute reprieve from the agency that dictates which medications may be prescribed for patients of the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) is welcome news. Last summer, the National Institute for…
October 30, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD Air Pollutants, Household Chemicals Increase Risk of Pediatric MS, Studies Suggest Children exposed to certain air pollutants in urban areas or some household chemicals are at higherĀ risk of developingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā during childhood or adolescence, two new research studies suggest. The studies āUrban air quality and associations with pediatric multiple sclerosisā and…
May 18, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias A Pediatric MS Medication Gets the OK Until about a week ago, no medication was approved in the U.S. to treat patients with pediatric-onset MS (POMS). Now there is one. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given its OK to use Gilenya (fingolimod) to treat relapsing MS in children and adolescents starting at…
February 27, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2017 – Study Reports Possible Link Between Viral Infections, Vitamin D, and Risk for MS In a U.S. nationwideĀ case study, a team of researchers found evidence forĀ a potential link between viralĀ infections during childhood, vitamin D deficiency, and the risk of developingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, āEnvironmental risk factors associated with pediatric MS: The role of remote viral infections and vitamin D revisited,ā was recently…
January 13, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD B-cells Differ in Pediatric- and Adult-onset MS, Study Shows The immune system B-cells responsible for producing antibodies are different in those who developĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) asĀ children,Ā than in those who developĀ it as adults, a study shows. The research, āB-cell populations discriminate between pediatric- and adult-onset multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the journalĀ Neurology: Neuroimmunology & NeuroInflammation. Because only 3…