Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibodies in Children

Investigators from a multicenter consortium collected serum from 210 children with acute demyelinating syndromes. At presentation, 60 were diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), 101 with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), and 12 with neuromyelitis optic spectrum disorder (NMOSD). After 24 months, the ADEM diagnosis still applied in 46; the other 14 had recurrent events (most often multiphasic ADEM). Of those with CIS, 54 had further demyelinating events, 40 of whom were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). The number with NMOSD diagnosis increased to 16 after 2 years.

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody (MOG-ab) titers were detected in 31% of patients, more commonly those presenting with an ADEM phenotype or…