Key clinical point : Patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely than those with adult-onset MS to have cognitive impairment in adulthood.
Major finding : At age 35 years, the mean Symbol Digit Modalities Test score for patients with adult-onset MS was 61, whereas for patients with pediatric-onset MS it was 51. By age 40 years, the mean score was 58 for adult-onset MS versus 46 for pediatric-onset MS.
Study details : A Swedish population-based, longitudinal cohort study of 5,704 patients with MS, 300 of whom had pediatric-onset MS (5%).
Disclosures: The study was supported by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Brain Foundation, and by postdoctoral awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, both to Dr. McKay. Coauthors reported receiving honoraria for speaking and serving on advisory boards for various pharmaceutical companies, as well as receiving research funding from agencies, foundations, and pharmaceutical companies.
Citation: McKay KA et al. JAMA Neurol. 2019 Jun 17. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.1546.