Multiple Sclerosis
A neurological disease causing unpredictable bouts of paralysis, numbness, and vision loss, once thought to strike only adults but now acknowledged to occur in children. Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects about 350,000 American adults, but experts estimate that as many as 20,000 children in the United States also have the disease yet remain undiagnosed. New medical evidence suggests that the number of pediatric patients is rising, probably because more doctors are considering the diagnosis when they see a child suffering from telltale symptoms such as a sudden visual problem.
When a childhood diagnosis is made, doctors, parents, and children are faced with a number of unanswered questions. Researchers do not know whether the drugs used to treat adults will work for children. They do not know how quickly the disease will progress.
Cause
Multiple sclerosis occurs when the body’s immune cells turn and mistakenly attack the thick sheath (myelin) covering the nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord. When the myelin is destroyed, the underlying nerve can be damaged, triggering a range of symptoms such as tremors or slurred speech.
Some adults with MS have attacks that can last several days to a week and then fully recover; others may not get another attack for a year or even a decade. Others will get several attacks spaced out over a year. A small number of people with MS get steadily worse with each attack. No one knows what will happen to children with the disease.
Diagnosis
The lack of knowledge about pediatric MS means that many children may not get a diagnosis right away. Only a few doctors at urban centers in the United States and Canada specialize in pediatric MS.
Although most children with MS have very mild cases, a small group of children have very aggressive symptoms. Instead of one or two attacks a year, these children must deal with five or more. No one knows whether these children will go on to suffer from progressively worsening disease.
Treatment
The drugs that have fueled a revolution among adults with MS have not been tested in children, and there is no proof that these drugs will work the same way for young children as they do in adults. Experts hope that these drugs, especially if started early, will stave off the worst consequences of the disease.
Researchers worry that repeated attacks can leave a child with memory and learning problems. One study found that about 30 percent of the children tested had trouble with cognitive skills, such as remembering information for a test. Some adults with MS also have such deficits but often can compensate by relying on their past experience.
When a childhood diagnosis is made, doctors, parents, and children are faced with a number of unanswered questions. Researchers do not know whether the drugs used to treat adults will work for children. They do not know how quickly the disease will progress.
Cause
Multiple sclerosis occurs when the body’s immune cells turn and mistakenly attack the thick sheath (myelin) covering the nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord. When the myelin is destroyed, the underlying nerve can be damaged, triggering a range of symptoms such as tremors or slurred speech.
Some adults with MS have attacks that can last several days to a week and then fully recover; others may not get another attack for a year or even a decade. Others will get several attacks spaced out over a year. A small number of people with MS get steadily worse with each attack. No one knows what will happen to children with the disease.
Diagnosis
The lack of knowledge about pediatric MS means that many children may not get a diagnosis right away. Only a few doctors at urban centers in the United States and Canada specialize in pediatric MS.
Although most children with MS have very mild cases, a small group of children have very aggressive symptoms. Instead of one or two attacks a year, these children must deal with five or more. No one knows whether these children will go on to suffer from progressively worsening disease.
Treatment
The drugs that have fueled a revolution among adults with MS have not been tested in children, and there is no proof that these drugs will work the same way for young children as they do in adults. Experts hope that these drugs, especially if started early, will stave off the worst consequences of the disease.
Researchers worry that repeated attacks can leave a child with memory and learning problems. One study found that about 30 percent of the children tested had trouble with cognitive skills, such as remembering information for a test. Some adults with MS also have such deficits but often can compensate by relying on their past experience.
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