Of 44 patients that had spinal MRI, 30 (68.1%) had inflammatory spinal cord lesions. LOMS patients were more likely to be OCB negative (22.5% vs. Time from first symptoms to diagnosis was significantly shorter in LOMS patients (2.7 years (standard deviation 2.6) versus 4.6 years (SD 6.3) in AOMS). Primary progressive disease was more common in LOMS (47% versus 8.5%, p<0.0001). LOMS patients were less likely to be female (57.6% versus 70.4% in AOMS, p=0.003). Awad A, Stüve O.Results 132 (5.2%) patients had LOMS (age range 50–72). Late onset multiple sclerosis: clinical characteristics, prognostic factors and differential diagnosis. Martinelli V, Rodegher M, Moiola L, Comi G. Arias M, Dapena D, Arias-Rivas S, Costa E, López A, Prieto JM et al. Because of previous co-morbid conditions and higher odds of T2-hyperintense lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of elderly patients 7 7. Late-onset multiple sclerosis in south-east wales. Harding K, Griffiths M, Wardle M, Tomassini V, Pickersgill T, Robertson N. Noseworthy JH, Paty D, Wonnacott T, Feasby T, Ebers G. Vascular disease of the central nervous system and cervical spondylotic myelopathy are the main differential diagnoses, due to a higher prevalence at this age and possible similar symptoms 1 1. Age and disability accumulation in multiple sclerosis. Scalfari A, Neuhaus A, Daumer M, Ebers GC, Muraro PA. The later onset has been associated with a greater possibility of reaching Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) grade 6.0 in a shorter period 16 16. , and older age at the time of the patient’s first examination 13 13. No sex-specific difference in disease trajectory in multiple sclerosis patients before and after age 50. Bove R, Musallam A, Healy BC, Houtchens M, Glanz BI, Khoury S et al. Is late-onset multiple sclerosis associated with a worse outcome? Neurology. Liguori M, Marrosu MG, Pugliatti M, Giuliani F, De Robertis F, Cocco E et al. The progression to disability in LOMS has previously been attributed to disease duration time 15 15. Clinical characteristics of patients with late-onset multiple sclerosis. , its initial presentation is monosymptomatic, with a motor or cerebellar symptom, and the most common clinical course is primary progressive 4 4. Effect of gender on late-onset multiple sclerosis. Bove RM, Healy B, Augustine A, Musallam A, Gholipour T, Chitnis T. On average, LOMS represents roughly 4.5% of the MS population 2 2. Late-onset multiple sclerosis in Isfahan, Iran. Etemadifar M, Abtahi SH, Minagar A, Akbari M, Masaeli A, Tabrizi N. Early clinical predictors and progression of irreversible disability in multiple sclerosis: an amnesic process. Clinical course and prognosis related to age at onset. Clinical studies of multiple sclerosis in Israel. Delalande S, De Seze J, Ferriby D, Stojkovic T, Vermersch P. It accounts for 1.4% to 9.9% of the MS population in different countries 2 2. Brain MRI in late-onset multiple sclerosis. Seze J, Delalande S, Michelin E, Gauvrit JY, Mackowiak MA, Ferriby D et al. Features of multiple sclerosis in older patients in South Wales.
Therefore, an uncommon form of MS is one in which symptoms start at 50 plus years of age, called late onset multiple sclerosis (LOMS) 1 1. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that predominantly affects young adults between 20 and 40 years of age.