Signs of Accelerated Ageing Identified in Children with Multiple Sclerosis

A new study led by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine has found that children and teenagers with multiple sclerosis (MS) show signs of accelerated biological ageing. The findings, published in Neurology, suggest that changes associated with ageing may occur earlier than previously recognized in this population.

MS is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Although much MS research has focused on adults, this study is the first to investigate whether biological ageing is also altered in younger patients.

The team analyzed blood samples from 125 children with MS and 145 children without the disease, using DNA methylation markers to estimate biological age. DNA methylation involves chemical modifications to DNA that can reflect the body’s exposure to stress, inflammation and other factors over time. Biological age, unlike chronological age, reflects cellular ageing processes.

Evidence of faster biological ageing

Children with MS, who were on average 15 years old, were found to be biologically older than their peers without MS. In some cases, the biological age of the most affected participants was up to two years higher than their chronological age.

The researchers used four different epigenetic clocks to analyze the blood samples. Two of these clocks, which are particularly sensitive to stress and inflammation, showed clear signs of accelerated ageing in children with MS. Epigenetic clocks are predictive algorithms that estimate biological age based on patterns of DNA methylation.

Implications for long-term disease progression

Accelerated biological ageing has previously been linked to disability progression in adults with MS. The current findings indicate that this process may begin much earlier than outward symptoms suggest.

By identifying biological ageing changes in children with MS, researchers hope to better understand how the disease develops over time. The study suggests that early biological ageing could contribute to disease progression later in life, when patients may shift from a relatively stable phase of MS to a more advanced, less treatable stage.

Next steps in research

Future research will aim to track biological ageing in young MS patients over time to understand its long-term effects on disability and disease progression. Researchers also plan to investigate how factors such as social stress, obesity and environmental exposures may influence the rate of biological ageing in this group. This is particularly relevant because pediatric MS is more common in families with lower socioeconomic status.

Although current MS treatments focus on modulating immune responses, the findings suggest that therapies targeting ageing-related mechanisms could offer new possibilities for managing the disease.

Reference: Goyne C, Fair AE, Yilmaz D, et al. Epigenetic aging in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis. Neuro. 2025. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000213673

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