AUTHOR=Vališ Martin , Pavelek Zbyšek , Novotný Michal , Klímová Blanka , Šarláková Jana , Halúsková Simona , Peterka Marek , Štětkárová Ivana , Štourač Pavel , Mareš Jan , Hradílek Pavel , Ampapa Radek , Vachová Marta , Recmanová Eva , Meluzínová Eva 

TITLE=Analysis of the Group of Pediatric Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Data From the Czech National Registry

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.851426

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2022.851426

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Importance: Multiple sclerosis can also affect children. Approximately 3-10% of patients develop multiple sclerosis before the age of 16. Objective: The aim of this analysis is to describe the characteristics of pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis who started their treatment with disease-modifying drugs in 2013-2020, with data obtained from the Czech National Registry of patients with multiple sclerosis. Design and setting: A method of retrospective analysis conducted with 134 pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis was used. Results: The findings reveal that the mean age at the date of the introduction of the first disease-modifying drugs treatment is 15.89 years, and gender does not play any role. In addition, moderate (51.6%) and mild (45.2%) relapses are predominant in these young patients. 75% of patients will not experience a confirmed progression of the expanded disability status scale within 54.7 months from starting the treatment. Furthermore, the results confirm that the first-choice treatment is interferon beta-a and glatiramer acetate, which is common for adult patients. However, some factors, such as a low efficacy or a lack of tolerance, among children may discontinue the treatment. Conclusion: More attention should be paid to researching novel disease-modifying drugs for this target group.