March 14, 2024 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Rituximab for MS may safely control disease in children, teens 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 byĀ infusion into the bloodstream, was generally safe and significantly reduced…
October 31, 2023 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Better sleep linked to quality of life, mental health in children with MS 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…
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…
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…
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 20, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD Gilenya Outperforms Avonex in Lessening Brain Lesion Activity, Atrophy in Children with MS, Trial Shows Oral treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod) is more effective than Avonex (interferon beta-1a) for controlling brain lesion activity and brain volume loss in children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosisĀ (POMS), two-year results of the PARADIGMS study show. That means Gilenya provides an effective treatment option for…
October 16, 2019 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Tysabri Treatment Leads to Disease Activity-free Status in Patients with Pediatric-onset MS Early treatment with Tysabri (natalizumab) of patients with aggressive pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis is highly effective at achieving disease activity-free status and preventing cognitive decline, a new study shows. The study, āNo evidence of disease activity including cognition (NEDA-3 plus) in naĆÆve pediatric multiple sclerosis patients treated with natalizumab,ā…
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…
February 28, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – No Evidence of Disease Activity Seen in POMS Adolescents Taking Rituximab, Small Study Shows Data supporting the off-label use of rituximab in adolescents with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) was presented atĀ the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2019. The session, titledĀ āNo Evidence of Disease Activity in the Majority of Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis Patients Receiving Rituximab,ā…
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…
March 13, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS Can Be a Kids’ Disease, Too (Part 2) After I wrote about pediatric MS earlier this month, a reader commented: “I think it would behoove your editorship to follow up to address to audiences…symptoms that typify the early-age demographic.” That’s a good point. So, I drilled deeper into how MS is handled in people younger than…
October 26, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #MSParis2017 ā Intellectual Enrichment Strategies May Improve Cognitive, Socio-Professional Outcomes of Pediatric-Onset MS Using strategies to promote intellectual enrichment among patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis could be essential to achieving better cognitive, social, and professional performances during adult life, according to researchers at theĀ University of FlorenceĀ in Italy. The finding was theĀ subject of an oral presentation titled, āCognitive reserve is…
September 19, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Poor Medication Adherence in Pediatric MS Patients Linked to Fatigue, Lack of Routine Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) inĀ North America identified a number ofĀ challenges inĀ adhering to disease-modifying therapies ā a potential first step to devising Ā therapeutic approaches that mightĀ improve adherence to MS medications among young patients and, subsequently, disease outcomes in these children. The results were presented in the talk, āMedication adherence in…