Children with MS show signs of aging two years faster

According to new research from the University of California, San Diego, challenges physicians’ perceptions of autoimmune diseases, which shows that their bodies are two years faster than their healthy peers, suggesting that their bodies age two years faster than their healthy peers. The study, published in neurology, is the first test of whether MS accelerates aging in children, and this finding could reshape treatments for young patients.

Hidden cellular damage to seemingly healthy children

The team analyzed blood samples from 125 children with MS and 145 healthy children with emphasis on revealing DNA methylation markers for biological age. Unlike age counted on birthdays, biological age tracks the rate at which cells deteriorate.

“We found evidence of children with experience accelerating biological aging,” said Dr. Jennifer S. Graves, senior author and professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. Children with MS show signs of premature aging, although they appear to be healthy and have an average age of only 15 years.

What makes this discovery particularly compelling? Researchers deliberately selected children and adolescents who have not been affected by normal aging processes or age-related diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

The science behind accelerating aging

The study used four different epigenetic clock algorithms to measure biological age, two of which showed statistically significant differences. Hannum clock shows that children with MS are biologically faster than 1.50 years, while the expression clock accelerates to 1.72 years.

These epigenetic clocks analyzed chemical modifications to DNA – specifically examined approximately 850,000 cytosine-phosphate sites throughout the genome. The two clocks that show the strongest effect are particularly sensitive to health-related stress and inflammation, suggesting that the immune attack characteristics of MS may drive premature cellular senescence.

Key research results:

• Children with MS show accelerated aging in 2 of 4 epigenetic measurement systems
• Most affected
• Even if factors such as body mass index and socioeconomic status are adjusted, the difference remains
• The results are consistent with previous studies in adult MS populations

Impact on future treatments

This finding has a significant impact on how to understand and process MS. Previous studies have linked biological age to disability progression in adults with MS, but this study shows that the aging process begins earlier – before obvious symptoms of disease progression appear, the aging process begins.

“It’s a completely new concept for MS,” Graves explained. “Aging is not something we think of affecting adolescents. But these children are accumulating cellular damage until a few years later they can’t appear clinically until a few years later, when they suddenly transition from a disease in their 30s to disease progression.”

This finding could explain why some young people with MS have experienced unexpected disease progression, despite years of stability. If cellular senescence begins in childhood, cumulative damage will only become clinically evident after decades.

Beyond current treatments

Current MS treatment focuses primarily on suppressing the immune system to prevent recurrence. However, if accelerated aging contributes to long-term disability, a widening of therapeutic strategies may be needed to address immunosuppression to address the aging process itself.

“If we can understand the interactions between the immune system, the interactions between the brain and aging, and disrupt the open-ended, we may be able to completely relieve MS in the future,” Graves noted.

The research team plans to conduct longitudinal studies that follow patients over time to determine how early biosenescence promotes long-term disability. They also intend to investigate whether social stressors, obesity and environmental factors will accelerate aging in children with MS, especially given the high prevalence of pediatric MS in low-income families.

A new understanding of MS progress

Multiple sclerosis affects about 2.8 million people worldwide, with most diagnosis occurring among young people. The disease attacks the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves, causing symptoms ranging from mild to severe disability.

This study shows that even at the earliest stages, MS may cause movement cell changes, which can affect the long-term trajectory of the disease. The discovery of biosenescence that can be detected in adolescent patients opens new avenues for early intervention strategies that may prevent or slow the development of the disease later.

For families dealing with pediatric MS, these findings are both focused and hopeful—a concern for hidden cellular damage, but hope that early understanding of these processes may lead to more effective treatments that address not only immune dysfunction but also aging processes intersecting MS progression.

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