Determining the Incidence and Prevalence of Pediatric MS

Investigators estimated the incidence and prevalence of pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) using administrative claims data from Ontario, Canada. First, they determined the sensitivity and specificity of several MS case definitions from a reference population of 81 children <18 years of age who were prospectively studied after presenting with an acute demyelinating event and 43 healthy controls. Two case definitions were selected based on the number of claims over varying intervals.

The Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (CCDSS) definition identified 360 incident cases of MS in patients aged ≤18 between 2003 and 2014; the Marrie definition identified 554 incident cases of MS. The CCDSS definition yielded crude annual incidences of M…