Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors for Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis

Researchers sought to identify risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS) among children with incident central nervous system demyelination. They prospectively studied 302 children (aged <16 years) who presented within 90 days after demyelination-symptom onset to one of 23 centers in Canada.

During a median follow-up of 3 years, 63 children (21%) developed MS. Older age at onset of demyelination symptoms (12 vs. 9 years) was associated with significantly increased risk for MS. Among children who presented with multifocal deficits, those with encephalopathy were significantly less likely than those without encephalopathy to develop MS. Oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid were more common among children who developed MS than among those who…