OBJECTIVES: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, neurodegenerative condition, severely impacting functioning and quality of life (QoL). Its manifestation, and consequent burden, within the paediatric population is increasingly being recognised. To investigate areas of unmet need, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted on the epidemiology, economic and humanistic burden of paediatric MS.

METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects were queried on 12 April 17. Hand-searches of key conferences and reference lists of included studies were also performed. Observational and cost-of-illness studies were included if they investigated patients <18 years with MS and reported a relevant epidemiology, economic burden or humanistic burden outcome. All records were independently reviewed for relevance by two individuals, with discrepancies discussed until reaching a consensus. Outcomes from relevant studies were extracted and quality assessment was conducted using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklists.

RESULTS: Of 2,729 records retrieved, 66 were included in the SLR. Incidence of paediatric MS was reported in 12 studies (rate: 0/100,000–2.9/100,000) and prevalence in 24 studies (rate: 0/100,000–3.2/100,000; 0–20.0% of all MS). Five studies reported comorbidities, and 23 studies reported disease characteristics such as relapse rates and disability progression. The impact of MS on QoL, physical activity, fatigue, school performance and cognitive function was reported in three, three, three, six and 11 studies. Five studies compared these outcomes between those with paediatric MS and healthy controls, consistently showing significantly poorer outcomes in those with paediatric MS. One study reported economic outcomes, finding on average that health plans did not fully cover medication costs.

CONCLUSIONS: This review has identified studies on various epidemiologic and burden outcomes in paediatric MS. Although the occurrence of MS is relatively rare in children, the burden and unmet medical needs are evident.