I read the case report entitled “Dystonia in a 13-year-old boy with secondary progressive
multiple sclerosis” with great interest [
[1]
]. This case is very unlikely to have multiple sclerosis (MS). MS, already uncommon
in children and adolescents, very rarely presents with seizures or with basal ganglia
involvement, and is extremely rare to undergo a secondary progressive course in this
age group. This patient might have another disorder, perhaps in the mitochondrial
or vasculitic category. Not all patients who fulfill the McDonald criteria have MS.
Indeed, the original article underlines: “Alternative diagnoses must be considered.
There must be no better explanation for the clinical picture” [
[2]
]. Before deciding on the co-occurrence of multiple small possibilities, we should
look into more common conditions that might explain the findings and might be treated
differently.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
- Dystonia in a 13-year-old boy with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.Brain Dev. 2004; 26: 539-541
- Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: guidelines from the international panel on the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.Ann Neurol. 2001; 50: 121-127
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© 2005 Published by Elsevier Inc.
