MRI brain scans can help identify children at high risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis much before symptoms appear, which may lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment,a study by researchers from Yale University has shown.
For the study 38children at 16 sites in 6 different countries underwent MRI scans for other reasons most commonly headache but the MRI unexpectedly revealed signs of MS.Having MRI findings of MS without any symptoms of the disease has been termed Radiologically isolated Syndrome(RIS) and previously seen only in adults.
Children with RIS may represent a high risk group of children that needs to be followed more closely for the later development of clinical multiple sclerosis.
About 42% of children in the study with MRI findings of MS developed the first clinical symptoms of the disease about 2 years after the abnormal MRI, which shows a faster development of the disease that has been reported in adults.
_Deccan Herald_