HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content

CARPHOLOGY by Rajendra

Multiple sclerosis in children

What is the natural history of multiple sclerosis which begins in childhood? Scientists used data from 13 adult neurology departments affiliated to the European Database for Multiple Sclerosis network to identify nearly 400 patients whose disease began at 16 years of age or younger. They compared these data with those obtained from 1775 patients whose disease began after the age of 16 years. They found that those with childhood onset disease were more likely to be female than male (2.8 vs 1.8), and to have an exacerbating-remitting initial course (98% vs 84%). They also took about 10 years longer to reach secondary progression and irreversible disability, but they reached these landmarks about 10 years younger. Thus patients with childhood-onset multiple sclerosis take longer to reach states of irreversible disability but do so at a younger age than patients with adult-onset disease.

N Engl J Med 2007;356:2603. . . [Full text of this article]