Early-Onset vs. Late-Onset Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis

Pediatric cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) are typically subdivided into those of early-onset (first decade) and later-onset (second decade). Patients with early-onset MS show higher rates of encephalopathy, more frequent involvement of optic nerves, brainstem or cerebellum, and fewer spinal cord symptoms. Also, early-onset case patients show fewer well-defined, T2-bright ovoid lesions on magnetic resonance imaging and more often have confluent lesions (Neurology 2008; 71:1090). Few studies of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in pediatric MS have focused on possible differences between early-onset and later-onset cases. In the current study, researchers compared CSF findings from 40 patients with early-onset MS and 67 with later-onset MS. CSF was …