NN09
Pediatric Neuropsychiatric Presentation in a Hispanic Female: A Case Report
Objectives: Report a neuropsychiatric pediatric onset case in a PR Hispanic MS patient
Methods: Evaluation of medical record and neuroimaging results. Also, patient and caregiver interviews.
Results: A 28-year-old Hispanic female patient diagnosed with MS, with history of epilepsy at age 5. Patient presented onset of psychiatric and cognitive difficulties at the age of 15. Emotional stressors triggered a series of psychiatric symptoms, including episodes of severe depression, visual and auditory hallucinations, and agoraphobia. The patient was also diagnosed with cognitive dysfunction, which impaired her scholar development and presented speech difficulties and lack of social skills. Throughout the development of her symptoms, she was treated with various psychoactive drugs. The patient continued with her cognitive and psychiatric conditions until a Brain MRI was performed. Here, the typical MS lesions were observed, and a diagnosis was reached at the age of 26. The condition is now successfully treated, showing clinical and social improvement.
Conclusions: An 11-year delay between the first symptom and the MS diagnosis occurred due to the rarity of the clinical presentation. Due to the psychoactive nature of her symptoms at such a young age in a Hispanic population, MS was not considered as a definite diagnosis until the patient was in her mid 20s. This case brings attention to the fact that more studies need to be done on pediatric onset cases with a psychiatric presentation. Also, creating awareness of this rare onset and a high suspicion from the physician can lead to faster diagnosis allowing for better prognosis. There is no current FDA approved MS treatment for pediatric patients. The pediatric onset presented here shows the importance of one such disease modifying therapy existing.