MS conferenceThe chance of leading a near normal life for patients with newly diagnosed likely multiple sclerosis (MS) was put forward by a team of international doctors in Greece at a conference on MS.
New data from the study on the use of a drug called betaferon shows a 50 per cent reduction in developing clinically definite MS in patients thought to have the most common form of newly emerging MS. The results from the study will also set new standards for early diagnosis and treatment decisions with patients who have suspected MS. "At present, most people are treated after the second episode of the disease. What this trial shows is that if we treat after the first episode, progressive disability is reduced," according to Prof David Bates, a neurologist in Newcastle.
The practice up to now, he said, had been to confirm the diagnosis of MS only after the second attack. The use of MRI scans and other diagnostic methods has improved the diagnosis of the disease.
"It's the second and subsequent attacks of MS that do the most damage," said Prof Mark Freedman, director of research at the Ottawa Hospital Canada, "and no one wants to wait for the second attack." These trials, he said, showed that if the drug was administered after the first suspected MS attack and at more frequent higher doses, patients could look forward to leading a more normal and mobile life.
The earlier and milder the condition when the treatment starts, the better the treatment in the long term.
There are 5,000 people in Ireland with MS, a long-term chronic disease which affects women more than men by a 2:1 ratio. Specialist MS nurse Eilish Moran, who spoke at the conference, said it was most commonly diagnosed in younger women and this drug was already being used by many patients in Ireland.