Key points:
- A new study shows pediatric MS patients have better outcomes if treated early and with the same high-efficacy therapies as adults.
- The observational study—the largest of its kind—analyzed global data of more than 5,000 people diagnosed with MS during childhood over the last 30 years.
- Researchers say they hope their findings lead to policy implications so children with MS can access the most effective therapies as early as possible.
Currently, there are a limited number of therapies approved for children with multiple sclerosis (MS), with only one considered to be highly effective. Now, a Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) study has determined that pediatric patients should be treated with the same high-efficacy treatments offered to adults as early in their diagnosis as possible to avoid the onset of significant disability.
“Based on our findings we recommend that patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis should be treated early in the disease course, when the disability is still minimal, to preserve neurological capacity before it’s damaged,” said lead author Sifat Sharmin, a Research Fellow at the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Neuroimmunology Centre.
The observational study analyzed global data of more than 5,000 people diagnosed with MS during childhood over the last 30 years—including from MSBase, a large international registry encompassing 41 countries and a national registry in Italy where the disease is highly prevalent.
Researchers compared the strength of treatment with the severity of the disease later in life, and concluded patients treated with the most effective treatments early on in their diagnosis were less likely to experience disability worsening. These disease-modifying therapies include highly effective antibodies that change the way in which an individual’s immune system behaves.
The research also confirmed that any treatment—including low-efficacy treatments—was better than no treatment.
This is the largest study of its kind globally. Sharmin says because pediatric-onset MS is a rare disease – about 4 to 8% of MS patients are diagnosed before age 18—it isn’t as well investigated.
“We hope this may have some policy implications so children with MS can access the most effective therapies as early as possible,” concluded Sharmin.