MS attacks 125 children every year in Britain

AROUND 125 British children suffer multiple sclerosis symptoms each year, researchers have found.

The average age for a first MS-like symptom was ten, with more girls affected than boys, a study has revealed.

Children presented with symptoms such as problems with sight and numb hands or feet. Scotland, per head of population, has one of the highest incidences of MS in the world.

The news comes after TV daredevil Jack Osbourne, son of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, revealed he has been diagnosed with the incurable auto-immune disease.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Children’s Hospital examined data from paediatrics in the UK and found one in 20 adults with MS will experience their first symptoms in childhood.

The authors of the report, published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis, hope the findings will help raise the profile of childhood MS among health professionals. Patients with the illness commonly suffer some numbness, blurred vision, mobility and balance problems, and muscle weakness and tightness.

Research leader Birmingham Children’s Hospital paediatric neurologist Dr Evangeline Wassmer said: “My hope is that the acknowledgement of childhood MS in the UK will lead to early diagnosis and treatment and improve the quality of life of children with the condition.”