Multiple sclerosis can also affect children, although it is a rarer form of the disease. Approximately 3-10 % patients will develop multiple sclerosis before the age of 16. This study focuses on the analysis of a cohort of paediatric patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis who started treatment with disease-modifying drugs between 2013 and 2020. Data for this analysis were obtained from the Czech National Registry of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis ReMuS. The results of the study provide valuable information on the characteristics of these patients, the course of their disease and the effectiveness of the treatment used.
Vališ, M., Pavelek, Z., Novotný, M., Klímová, B., Šarláková, J., Halúsková, S., Peterka, M., Štětkárová, I., Štourač, P., Mareš, J., Hradílek, P., Ampapa, R., Vachová, M., Recmanová, E., & Meluzínová, E. (2022). Analysis of the Group of Pediatric Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Data From the Czech National Registry. And Frontiers in Neurology (Vol. 13). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2022.851426 PMID: 35518208
Abstract
Meaning of:Multiple sclerosis can also affect children. Approximately 3-10 % patients will develop multiple sclerosis before the age of 16.
Target:The aim of this analysis is to describe the characteristics of pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis who started treatment with disease-modifying drugs between 2013 and 2020, using data from the Czech National Registry of Multiple Sclerosis Patients.
Design and setup:A retrospective analysis method was used on 134 pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis.
Results:The findings show that the average age at initiation of treatment with the first disease-modifying drugs is 15.89 years and gender plays no role. Further, mild (45.2 %) and moderate (51.6 %) relapses are prevalent in these young patients. Seventy-five percent of patients do not experience confirmed progression of the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) within 54.7 months of starting treatment. The results also confirm that interferon beta-a and glatiramer acetate is the first choice of treatment, which is common in adult patients. However, some factors such as low efficacy or poor tolerance may influence treatment discontinuation in children.
Conclusion:More research should be done on new disease-modifying drugs for this target group.
You can read the full article in English on the magazine's website Frontiers in Neurology.
