Onset of multiple sclerosis in a 24-month-old child
J. M. Bejar and D. K. Ziegler
A child, aged 24 months, incurred an episode of ataxic gait. Two months
later, she had a recurrent episode of ataxic gait and bilateral blindness.
Her symptoms were resolved with steroid therapy. A permanent visual deficit
of 20/200 remained in the right eye. When she reached 16 years 10 months of
age, she incurred the second episode of bilateral blindness. One month
later, she had grand mal seizures. Her myelin basic protein level was
elevated. Visual evoked responses were abnormal bilaterally. The
combination of cerebellar, cortical, and eye symptoms, with a history of
well-defined remissions, allowed the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS)
to be made. This is the youngest known patient with MS yet described, with
the first attack occurring at 24 months of age.
