title: Subcutaneous interferon β-1a in pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis: Regional differences in clinical features, disease management, and treatment outcomes in an international retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To further understand management of pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), we examined disease features, clinical practice patterns, and response to treatment in the United States (US) and seven other countries ('rest of World'; ROW).
  
  
  METHODS
  Anonymized data, recorded as part of routine clinical practice, were obtained from medical records (1997-2009) of study participants (who received subcutaneous interferon β-1a before age 18 years) from the US and ROW. Samples were stratified by age (preadolescents [<12 years] and adolescents [12-17 years]).
  
  
  RESULTS
  US adolescents had a higher mean body mass index versus ROW adolescents (BMI; 27.2 versus 22.5 kg/m(2)), started disease-modifying therapy (DMT) earlier after the first relapse, were more likely to have received a DMT before initiating subcutaneous interferon β-1a, had a higher relapse rate, and were more likely to switch from subcutaneous interferon β-1a to another DMT before the end of the observation period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This retrospective analysis of a multinational sample of pediatric MS patients who received subcutaneous interferon β-1a found that those from the US had higher BMI, relapsed more frequently, and were managed differently, compared with ROW patients. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm these observations and ascertain their clinical significance.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric MS Center at NYU Langone, New York City, NY, USA. Electronic address: lauren.krupp@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Lauren B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Krupp
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa, Canada.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pohl
authors.affiliation: Centro Studi Sclerosi Multipla, Gallarate, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghezzi
authors.affiliation: Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boyko
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Pediatría S.A.M.I.C. "Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan", Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tenembaum
authors.affiliation: EMD Serono, Inc., Billerica, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: EMD Serono, Inc., Billerica, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aycardi
authors.affiliation: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Banwell
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D038622:Internationality; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a
keywords: Adolescents; Children; Multiple sclerosis; Pediatrics; Subcutaneous interferon β-1a