Cervical cord atrophy in MS exceeds normal age-related decline

A cross-sectional, multicenter study of 480 healthy controls and 1,295 patients with multiple sclerosis used MRI to model upper cervical cord area across the lifespan and compare patients with MS to expected age-related trajectories. The study reported that patients with MS showed cord area reductions beyond normal aging starting around age 30, most pronounced in the fifth and sixth decades, with this disease-specific atrophy occurring independent of sex and correlating with higher disability and other structural MRI changes. Differences by age at disease onset were largely explained by disease duration rather than onset age itself, according to the study.

Most relevant for: Patients with multiple sclerosis, particularly those being evaluated with spinal cord MRI for disability and disease progression monitoring.

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