Chapter 14 - Living with pediatric multiple sclerosis: patient well-being

Summary

This chapter focuses on the influence of multiple sclerosis (MS) on school and psychosocial aspects of life in children and adolescents, offering practical information about how to address potential problems. The MS has substantial impacts on the lives of those diagnosed with the disorder. Both attacks and progressive symptoms associated with MS can contribute to the net burden of disease. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) is a tool that provides a nonlinear score based predominantly on the neurologic examination to quantify this burden. MS can affect a child's cognitive functioning, including reasoning, processing, attention span, information processing and retrieval, and other thinking abilities. Cognitive dysfunction can, in turn, impact the learning and memory and, consequently, the academic performance of children with MS. Signs of psychosocial distress in children and teens include unexplained medical complaints, poor compliance with treatment plans, school refusal, and risk-taking behaviors.