WHAT IS PEDIATRIC MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS?

Pediatric MS symptoms

The symptoms of MS in children and teens are similar to those that adults experience. For children with MS, though, there are some differences:

• Children with MS exclusively have a relapsing-remitting course. This means there are clear attacks (relapses) of symptoms that subside (remit).

• Children may experience frequent relapses (possibly more than typically seen in adults).

Studies have also shown that children’s recovery from relapses seems to be very good and often more rapid than that of adults.

Multiple sclerosis age of onset

MS can occur at any age, but pediatric MS is relatively rare. Multiple studies have shown that only 3-5% of all individuals diagnosed with MS experience disease onset before 16 years of age. The majority of MS diagnoses occur between the ages of 20 and 40.