The Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital has been named one of three newly funded pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) centers by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
LLU Children’s Hospital will benefit from a new, three-year funding commitment of $2.5 million for the Network of Pediatric MS Centers, which includes nine centers across the United States. All centers have begun to receive funding to provide essential infrastructure to facilitate research, including searching for the cause of MS, by studying risk factors for the disease in children close to the time of exposure.
This support for data coordination can be leveraged to answer other important research questions and advance understanding of the disease in this most vulnerable group.
Gregory Aaen, MD, director of the Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center, is thrilled that LLU Children’s Hospital was recognized.
“This is a true testament to the care we provide to our MS patients,” he says. “The most common questions I get from my patients and their families are ‘why did my child get MS?’ and ‘what can we expect in the future?’
“With this funding, we are hoping to be able to provide more answers,” he explains. “This grant will further support research projects of the Pediatric MS Center at Loma Linda University with the hope of helping children with MS live longer, fuller, and very productive lives.”
One Children’s Hospital patient who is hoping for a cure one day is 16-year-old Chloe McCabe, who was diagnosed with MS just three years ago. “We were referred to Loma Linda after she had her first attack,” says Chloe’s mom, Cynthia. “We were in shock when we found out she had MS.”
Chloe reports, however, that with the exception of occasional blurred vision or tingling in her arms and legs, she feels like any normal teenager. “Luckily with the help of Dr. Aaen, I don’t really have any symptoms of MS,” she says.
Chloe and her mom, Cynthia, commute from San Jacinto every three months for checkups with Dr. Aaen at Loma Linda University Pediatric MS Center.
Dr. Aaen is thankful for the National MS Society for putting LLU Children’s Hospital on the map as a nationally recognized center. “When a child is suspected to have MS, we want the public to think of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital as a vital local resource.”
“This investment provides the infrastructure and research support needed to keep this unique network—with the largest group of well-characterized pediatric MS cases in the world—moving forward,” says Dr. Timothy Coetzee, National MS Society chief research officer. “Driving research to improve the care of children affected by MS and determining what triggers this disease is part of our commitment to all people living with MS.”
Multiple sclerosis is more common in adults but affects 8,000-10,000 children in the United States, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
The inflammatory disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, disrupting parts of the nervous system and potentially affecting a person’s physical and mental abilities. Visual, sensory, and motor problems are the most common symptoms of MS.