Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is traditionally the domain of adult neurologists due to its
characteristic presentation during early adult life. Although descriptions of infants
with MS appeared in the beginning of the last century and the first autopsy was described
even earlier, it was not until 1980 that childhood onset MS was recognized and subsequently
well characterized. In spite of this, the awareness of pediatricians and pediatric
neurologists to the occurrence of MS especially in infants and young children is still
unsatisfactory. It is not infrequent that a meticulous, time consuming and costly
search for metabolic and degenerative disorders other that MS is initiated before
the diagnosis of MS is considered. This leads to a significant diagnostic and therapeutic
delay in many young patients. Moreover, when the presentation is acute and characterized
by confusion, seizures, CSF pleocytosis following a viral infection, a diagnosis of
meningoencephalitis will be frequently reached.
In this review, updated data on frequency, epidemiology, some special clinical and
radiological features of childhood onset MS, outcome and treatment will be briefly
discussed with the purpose of alerting physicians to the possibility of the occurrence
of MS even in infants and young children.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
January 22,
2003
Received in revised form:
January 14,
2003
Received:
July 1,
2002
Identification
Copyright
© 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
