Pediatric multiple sclerosis
Pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) is a rare multiple sclerosis variant characterized by the onset of multiple sclerosis (i.e. one or multiple episodes of clinical CNS symptoms consistent with acquired CNS demyelination with radiologically proven dissemination of inflammatory lesions in space and time following exclusion of other disorders) before the age of 18 years old. Pediatric MS patients present a predominantly relapsing-remitting course with first attack usually consisting of optic neuritis transverse myelitis acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and monofocal or polyfocal neurological deficits. A high burden of T2-hyperintense lesions on intial MRI primarily of the supratentorial region and/or of the cervical spinal cord has been reported.
Newly diagnosed with
Pediatric multiple sclerosis?
Our RARE Concierge Services Guides are available to assist you by providing information, resources and connections as you navigate your rare disease journey.
Advocacy Organizations
The Assistance Fund
The Assistance Fund's mission is to provide underinsured people living with life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases access to critical treatment through financial assistance, education, and advocacy.
Help Hope Live
Help Hope Live supports community-based fundraising for people with unmet medical expenses and related costs due to organ transplants or catastrophic injuries or illnesses. For 38 years, Help Hope Live has been showing clients and families how to bring together a network of relatives, friends, and neighbors in fundraising efforts to help cover the cost of uncovered medical expenses. These efforts play a critical role in helping our clients recover and maintain their health and independence. Since 1983, we have helped thousands of people raise millions of dollars for Help Hope Live to pay a wide range of expenses, including out-of-pocket costs for: medications, durable medical equipment, home health care, wheelchair-accessibility modifications, physical therapy, innovative treatments, medical travel and temporary relocation, even emergency living assistance. Our program has also helped thousands pay it forward and assist others with their medical expenses. Annually, we help place medical care within reach of about 5,000 families across the nation.
Unfixed
Unfixed produces media that elevates stories of people living with chronic illness, rare disease and disability. The Unfixed portfolio of projects demonstrates that living well is not about eradicating our wounds and weaknesses but understanding how they complete our identities and equip us to help others. Current and past productions include multiple mini-series, a podcast and feature film.
Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome Advocacy Association
AGSAA is a global coalition of deeply dedicated parent advocates working alongside clinicians, researchers, and scientists. We are united in our desire to improve the lives of individuals and families living with Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome and those yet to be diagnosed. Everything we do reflects a sense of urgency to rescue patient potential and preserve quality of life through accelerating research and providing timely emotional and educational support alongside evolving clinical care recommendations to affected families.
Moonshots for Unicorns
Curing single-gene disorders
COMBINEDBrain Inc
COMBINEDBrain is a consortium for outcome measures and biomarkers for neurodevelopmental disorders. We are collaborating to cure rare, non-verbal brain disorders.
Center for Chronic Illness
The Center for Chronic Illness (CCI) promotes well-being and decreases isolation for those impacted by ongoing health challenges through support and education.
Inclusive Skating
TO INCLUDE, INFORM AND INSPIRE people around the globe through the joy of skating, reflecting the compassion, respect and innovation that make ours the world’s premier inclusive organisation. Inclusive Skating is dedicated to the advancement of public participation in sport and the promotion of equality and diversity. Our primary objective is the development and implementation of programming which fosters the inclusion of skaters with any form of impairment or disability. Our ethos of inclusion extends to skaters of all ages and backgrounds; we welcome all with open arms. Values of empathy, integrity and empowerment are central to the pursuit of these goals. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the community, camaraderie, self-fulfilment, achievement, challenge, and thrill that participation in skating sports offers. We work to create these opportunities by offering activities, educational resources, events, training, and championships for our community.
Rare Disease Ghana Initiative
To improve the wellbeing and quality of life of persons living with undiagnosed and rare diseases in Ghana
Our Odyssey
Connecting young adults impacted by a rare or chronic condition with social and emotional support in the hope of improving their quality of life.
Jamal’s Helping Hands
Jamal's Helping Hands provides services for patients affected by rare disease and their families. With a vision to become a premier resource and national leader in education, outreach, advocacy, and support to individuals affected by rare disease. JHH enhances the quality of its clients lives by providing an array of services to make the experience of rare disease easier.
Patient Advocate Foundation
Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), founded in 1996, is the nation’s leading direct patient services organization whose mission is to safeguard patients with chronic, life-threatening, and debilitating diseases through effective mediation of issues related to access to care and preservation of financial stability. Patients must be seeking help with any of the following needs related to their diagnosis: • Accessing prescribed healthcare, including understanding their healthcare benefits • Issues related to their health insurance benefits, including denials of care, out-of-pocket costs, network issues, and insurance options • Financial concerns, including cost-of-living expenses and medical expenses • Practical needs, including transportation and nutritional needs • Assistance with filing an application for disability Since its inception, PAF has provided direct, sustained patient assistance to more than 1.7 million patients and touched many more through its website and outreach events. Amongst the more common issues that patients and caregivers call PAF for help with include the inability to afford transportation expenses, inability to afford rent/mortgage, inability to afford their co-pay for medications, and inability to afford utilities and resulting shut-off notices. PAF serves patients with numerous health conditions, the majority of which have some form of cancer. Non-cancer diagnoses included rare diseases, chronic and debilitating conditions, nervous system conditions, cardiovascular conditions and vascular disease, autoimmune diseases, and diabetes. PAF solicits and receives donations to its programs from a multitude of sources including government agencies, non-profit organizations and for-profit organizations in the healthcare sector, including pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers. Patient Advocate Foundation also has several distinct programs targeting specific populations with an emphasis on the underserved.
Botswana Organisation for rare Diseases
advocate for Rare disease patients and their families
Rare Disorders Kenya
Provide a strong common voice to advocate for a rare disease health policy and a better healthcare system that works for those with rare diseases
Youth and Women for Opportunities Uganda-YWOU
Youth and Women for Opportunities-YWOU an organization that we represent is patient organization re-presentative, patient and institution and individual capacity builder supporting PLWRD’s to obtain diagnosis, treatment and drugs for those suffering consequences of being undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and lack treatment and those who lack precise diagnosis for rare, orphan and undiagnosed diseases preventing PLWRD’s accessing the most adapted care, treatment or surgery, have delayed access to the most appropriate care, treatment or surgery
Indo US Organization for Rare Diseases (IndoUSrare)
Our mission is to help establish and sustain patient-centric education, awareness, training, research, and engagement programs aligned with the FDA’s patient focused drug development (PFDD) paradigm in the following ways: 1. Diversity Patients Alliance Program: Advocate for global diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinical trials and improve access to clinical research as a care option for patients living with rare diseases. Collaborate for public health policy development & implementation such as Rare Disease and Orphan Drug Policies between USA, India and other countries. 2. Patient Concierge: Connect patients living with rare diseases in India, USA, and globally with clinical trials, patient advocacy groups, research, and international Consortia such as Global Genes, IRDiRC, NORD, RARE-X, RDI, and UDNI. 3. Research Programs: Conduct and facilitate cross-border research collaborations for genetic disorders. 4. Corporate Diversity Advisory Council (CDAC): will bring together biotech, pharma, and medical device sponsors, diagnostic companies, and other stakeholders of the life science industry as members of this council to set the agenda for advocacy and pre-competitive cooperation. 5. Bring together stakeholders of rare diseases by organizing national and international conferences
Rare Disease Male Mental Health Support Group
To The purpose of the group is to help break the stigma around male mental health and to encourage to take care of their emotional well being . It provides rare disease patients, caregivers with a safe space to talk about their experiences, get support and listen to other peoples stories . Having a rare disease comes with many added layers which can impact your life such as physical, medical, emotional, relationships and bereavement so it is important to talk about your emotional and mental well-being. Through awareness and education men have come together in this format and despite different rare conditions have found there is more on common with other men through connecting and supporting each other in this way .
Clinical Trials
For a list of clinical trials in this disease area, please click here.