Greater Epigenetic Age Seen in Patients With Pediatric-Onset MS

TUESDAY, June 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Individuals with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) have greater epigenetic age and age acceleration residual (AAR) compared with age-similar controls, according to a study published online June 3 in Neurology.

Christopher Goyne, M.D., from the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues compared epigenetic age in participants with POMS and age-similar controls in a multicenter case-control analysis of a prospectively collected set of whole-blood DNA samples and clinical data. Epigenetic age was calculated based on four established algorithms; using multivariate regression analysis, epigenetic age and AAR were compared for participants with POMS and controls (125 [mean age, 15.7 years] and 145 [mean age, 15.3 years], respectively).

The researchers found that after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, tobacco exposure, and socioeconomic status, cases had greater epigenetic age and AAR than controls. For two of the four epigenetic clocks used, this difference was statistically significant (Hannum β, 1.50 years; PhenoAge β, 1.72 years).

“Aging isn”t something we think of affecting teenagers. But these kids are accumulating cellular damage that may not show up clinically until years later, when they suddenly transition from doing fine to disease progression in their 30s,” senior author Jennifer S. Graves, M.D., Ph.D., also from the University of California, San Diego, said in a statement. “It is a significant finding to see this accelerated aging in children. If we can understand the interplay between the immune system, the brain and aging — and break that open — we might be able to put MS into full remission in the future.”

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