EAN 2022 | Diagnosis and treatment of pediatric MS

Kumaran Deiva, MD, PhD, Faculty of Medicine Paris Sud, Paris, France, discusses the treatment landscape of pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) and the main challenges in the field. Since 2014, several clinical trials have evaluated the safety and efficacy of MS treatments in the pediatric population, allowing an evidence-based use of those therapies in children. Although there have been several advances in the treatment of pediatric MS, difficulties in the differential diagnosis remain. Among demyelinating entities, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies (MOG-ab) associated disorders, which are frequent in children, are now well-known as unique disease processes and yet continue to overlap with MS regarding clinical presentation and imaging. Making an early and correct diagnosis is highly important, especially in the pediatric setting, since pediatric MS is highly active, characterized by more frequent relapses and cognitive and physical disability earlier than adult-onset MS. This interview took place at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) 2022 Congress in Vienna, Austria.