Multiple sclerosis in children.
Multiple sclerosis can develop during childhood, even among children under 10 years of age, and the initial diagnosis can be difficult. A first demyelinating event in children may be an episode of monophasic acute disseminated encephalomyelitis or a first episode of a macrophage activation syndrome, angiitis affecting the central nervous system or MS. The risk of developing MS is lower if: the child is younger than 10 years old; onset is associated with severely altered consciousness; presentation is polysymptomatic; or there are large and poorly limited lesions of the white matter. MS in children probably has a slightly better outcome than MS in adults. Initial treatment mainly relies on methylprednisolone, and there is little information on the results of beta interferon treatment in children with MS.
Service de Neurologie Pédiatrique and INSERM E0109, Hôpital Bicêtre, Faculte de Medecine Paris-Sud, 94276 Le Kremlin Bicetre, Cedex, France. marc.tardieu@kb.u-psud.fr
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D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis