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A new study, published on Dec. 27 in JAMA Network Open, reveals that children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibit a variety of symptoms and diagnoses in the five years leading up to their MS diagnosis. The research, conducted by Dr. Manas K. Akmatov and colleagues from the Central Research Institute of Ambulatory Health Care in Berlin, provides valuable insights into the early indicators of MS in pediatric patients.
The study involved a population-based, matched case-control analysis of 1,091 children and adolescents with MS, 10,910 individuals without MS, and 1,068 patients diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Researchers systematically assessed the range of diseases and symptoms diagnosed within five years before the first MS or central nervous system demyelinating disease-related diagnostic code.
The findings revealed that certain conditions were significantly more common in children with MS compared to the control group of children without MS. Nine conditions were notably prevalent in these children, including obesity, disorders of eye refraction and accommodation, visual disturbances, gastritis and duodenitis, patella disorders, heartbeat abnormalities, flatulence, skin sensation disturbances, and dizziness. Among these, skin sensation disturbances stood out with an exceptionally high adjusted odds ratio of 12.93.
Additionally, four of these symptoms were significantly more common in children with MS compared to those with JIA. These included obesity, visual disturbances, disorders of eye refraction and accommodation, and skin sensation disturbances, with adjusted odds ratios of 3.19, 3.08, 1.62, and 27.70, respectively.
“This study is the first to systematically examine diagnoses made years before an initial MS diagnosis in a pediatric setting,” noted Dr. Akmatov and his team.
The findings highlight the importance of early recognition of these symptoms, which may provide a window of opportunity for earlier diagnosis and potential intervention for children at risk for MS.
