Brain lesions in childhood MS are same as in adult onset MS

#MSBlog: Childhood and adult MS looks the same on MRI. Are you surprised? 

Donohue et al. No Regional Gray Matter Atrophy Differences between Pediatric- and Adult-Onset Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.J Neuroimaging. 2013. doi: 10.1111/j.1552-6569.2012.00775.x. 

OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences in region-specific gray matter (GM) damage between adults with pediatric-onset (PO) multiple sclerosis (MS) and adult-onset (AO) MS.

METHODS: Twenty-four relapsing-remitting (RR) adults with POMS (mean age = 35 years, mean disease duration = 18.4 years) were compared to 23 age-matched (AOA, mean age = 33.9 years, mean disease duration = 2.4 years) and 24 disease-duration matched (AOD, mean age = 45.9 years, mean disease duration = 18.5 years) RRMS adults who developed MS after the age of 18. Three-dimensional-T1-weighted images were acquired on a 1.5 T MRI. Image analysis was conducted using voxel-based morphometry (Statistical Parametric Mapping 8).

RESULTS: There were no regional GM atrophy differences between POMS and AODMS groups. No regional GM atrophy differences were found between POMS and AOAMS MSers when disease duration was included as a covariate.

CONCLUSIONS: Regional GM differences were not found between POMS adults and MS controls matched for age or disease duration. Although of limited sample size, these findings suggest that there are no regional GM atrophy differences between RR POMS and AOMS.


"This study shows no major differences in the MRI findings between MSers who develop MS as a child or an adult. I am not surprised as everything points to them having the same disease. The major difference is that the younger you are the better your prognosis in relation to time. We think this is because your ability to recover or repair your CNS is age-dependent and drops off with age. This is age-related phenomenon is not unique to MS and is seen in most organ systems."

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