Nationwide Incidence of Acquired Central Nervous System Demyelination in Icelandic Children.

• Published in: Pediatric Neurology
• Main Authors: Gudbjornsson, Brynjar Thor, Haraldsson, Ásgeir, Einarsdóttir, Hildur, Thorarensen, Ólafur
• Other Authors: Univ Iceland, Fac Med, Reykjavik, Iceland, Landspitali Univ Hosp Iceland, Childrens Hosp Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, Landspitali Univ Hosp Iceland, Dept Diagnost Imaging, Reykjavik, Iceland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Science 2016
• Subjects: MS sjúkdómur; Demyelinating Diseases/blood; Multiple Sclerosis; Syndrome; Child; Preschool; Myelitis; Transverse; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/605103; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2015.08.020

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the page Recognizing acquired demyelinating syndromes and multiple sclerosis is important to commence early treatment. The objective of this study was to describe the incidence of acquired demyelinating syndromes and multiple sclerosis among the entire Icelandic pediatric population according to recently promoted criteria. The study included all children in Iceland (<18 years) with acquired demyelinating syndromes and multiple sclerosis from 1990 to 2009 with a minimum of 5-year follow-up. Clinical data were gathered and radiological images reviewed. The cohort included all patients with acquired demyelinating syndromes and multiple sclerosis in the Icelandic pediatric population. Eighteen patients with acquired demyelinating syndromes and multiple sclerosis were included, the total annual incidence being 1.15/100,000 (acquired demyelinating syndromes 1.02 and multiple sclerosis 0.45/100,000). The median age at diagnosis was 14.25 years (range 1.25-17.5 years). Thirteen patients were initially diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome, two had acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, two had multiple sclerosis, and one had neuromyelitis optica. Seven children were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; three patients with clinically isolated syndrome developed multiple sclerosis after the age of 18 and were not included in the multiple sclerosis group. The gender ratio was equal. Of the nine girls, seven were diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome. Most patients (11 of 18) were diagnosed during the period January through March. Oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid were exclusively found in patients with multiple sclerosis and clinically isolated syndrome and 13 of 14 available magnetic resonance images revealed clear abnormalities. The annual incidence of acquired demyelinating syndromes and multiple sclerosis in Iceland was 1.15/100,000 children. The risk of progression from clinically isolated ...