title: Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis in Portugal: A Multicentre Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple sclerosis is most often diagnosed among young adults but less frequently it may present during childhood or adolescence. In Portugal, there has been only one previous single-center, pediatric multiple sclerosis study. The main objective was the evaluation of the demographic, clinical, laboratorial and neuroradiological characteristics of patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis in Portugal. The secondary objectives were to compare the characteristics of childhood-onset multiple sclerosis and adolescent-onset multiple sclerosis and to characterize the treatments prescribed.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective observational, multicentric study. We reviewed data of all patients with multiple sclerosis younger than 18 years at the onset of their first multiple sclerosis symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 46 patients (72% female) included with a mean age at diagnosis of 16.1 years. Six cases had childhood-onset and 40 cases had adolescence-onset. The median value of Expanded Disability Status Scale was two. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis was most prevalent (98% of cases). In the cerebrospinal fluid study, 74% of patients had positive oligoclonal bands. Brain magnetic resonance imaging studies showed a predominant supratentorial involvement (98% of cases), whereas the cervical segment was the most frequently affected in the spinal cord. All the patients enrolled in the study underwent immunomodulatory therapy, 75% ofpatients with beta-interferon. Concerning differences between the childhood and the adolescent groups, we found a greater proportion of male patients and of individuals with cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis among the childhood-onset group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides new data on pediatric multiple sclerosis characteristics in Portugal and our results are similar to previously reported data in other parts of the worldConclusion: This is the first multicentric study characterizing pediatric multiple sclerosis in Portugal. The mechanisms underlying the particularities of pediatric multiple sclerosis remain largely unknown and further studies are required.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department. Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental. Lisboa. Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana Sofia
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.affiliation: Neurorradiology Department. Centro Hospitalar São João. Porto. Portugal.
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Augusto
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department. Centro Hospitalar São João. Porto. Portugal.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meireles
authors.affiliation: Neurorradiology Department. Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra. Coimbra. Portugal.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department. Centro Hospitalar de Setubal. Setubal. Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Sousa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D011174:Portugal; D012189:Retrospective Studies