Children Have Various Symptoms Within Five Years Before MS Diagnosis
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Dec. 27, 2024 -- Children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a range of symptoms, signs, and diagnoses within five years before diagnosis, according to a study published online Dec. 27 in JAMA Network Open.
Manas K. Akmatov, Ph.D., from the Central Research Institute of Ambulatory Health Care in Berlin, and colleagues systematically assessed diseases and symptoms diagnosed in the five years before a first MS or central nervous system demyelinating disease-related diagnostic code in pediatric patients versus controls without MS or those with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The population-based, matched case-control study included 1,091 children and adolescents (aged younger than 18 years) with MS; 10,910 without MS; and 1,068 with JIA.
The researchers found nine International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision, German Modification codes more often in children with MS in the five years before first diagnosis than among controls without MS: obesity, disorders of eye refraction and accommodation, visual disturbances, gastritis and duodenitis, patella disorders, heartbeat abnormalities, flatulence, skin sensation disturbances, and dizziness and giddiness (adjusted odds ratios, 1.70, 1.26, 1.31, 1.35, 1.47, 1.94, 1.43, 12.93, and 1.52, respectively). Of those codes, four were significantly more prevalent among children with MS than controls with JIA: obesity, refraction and accommodation disorders, visual disturbances, and skin sensation disturbances (adjusted odds ratios, 3.19, 3.08, 1.62, and 27.70)
"To our knowledge, this is the first study that systematically examined diagnoses made years before an initial MS diagnosis in a pediatric setting," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Study Compares Benefits, Harms of Treatments for Chronic Hives
WEDNESDAY, July 23, 2025 -- Omalizumab and remibrutinib may be the most effective treatments for reducing hives, itch, and swelling with chronic urticaria, according to a study...
USPSTF Guidelines of Little Value for Estimating Preeclampsia Risk in Those at Moderate Risk
WEDNESDAY, July 23, 2025 -- Moderate U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) preeclampsia risk factors have little value for estimating the risk for preeclampsia, according...
Endocrine Society, July 12-15
The annual meeting of the Endocrine Society (ENDO 2025) was held from July 12 to 15 in San Francisco, attracting more than 7,000 participants, including clinicians, academicians...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.