RESUMEN
To expand current knowledge, we examined the safety and tolerability of subcutaneous interferon ß-1a in patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis. Records from 307 patients who had received at least 1 injection of subcutaneous interferon ß-1a for demyelinating events when aged younger than 18 years were reviewed. Overall, 168 (54.7%) patients had at least 1 prespecified medical event related to or under close monitoring with subcutaneous interferon ß-1a or specific to pediatric patients, 184 (59.9%) had nonserious medical events related to treatment or of unknown causality, and 12 (3.9%) had serious medical events irrespective of causality. The most common laboratory abnormalities were increased alanine (74/195; 37.9%) and aspartate aminotransferase levels (59/194; 30.4%). Annualized relapse rates were 1.79 before treatment and 0.47 during treatment. In conclusion, adult doses of subcutaneous interferon ß-1a (44 and 22 µg, 3 times weekly) were well tolerated in pediatric patients and were associated with reduced relapse rates.
Asunto(s)
Adyuvantes Inmunológicos/administración & dosificación , Interferón beta/administración & dosificación , Esclerosis Múltiple/tratamiento farmacológico , Adolescente , Niño , Evaluación de la Discapacidad , Femenino , Humanos , Inyecciones Subcutáneas , Interferón beta-1a , Cooperación Internacional , Masculino , Estudios Retrospectivos , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
Pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently do not meet MRI criteria for diagnosis because of lack of evidence of dissemination in space. We assessed the diagnostic utility of multimodal evoked potentials (EP). In 46% of 85 childhood patients with MS, spatial dissemination was detected by EP before the second clinical attack. EP may constitute an important tool for earlier diagnosis of pediatric MS.