MS: taking treatment early could reduce the risk of disability

Autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) is a pathology during which immune system cells wrongly attack myelin, the protective sheath that surrounds nerve fibers. MS therefore causes symptoms that can affect vision, muscles and numbness in limbs.

Does early treatment influence the disease?

In this study, researchers looked at historical data from 580 people under the age of 50 who experienced a first episode of symptoms that were likely caused by MS. The researchers divided people into three groups:

• Those treated within six months of their first episode;
• Those treated between six months and 16 months;
• And those treated after more than 16 months.

In the end, all volunteers were eventually treated with at least one disease-modifying drug.

Scientists also looked at data on people’s levels of disability and brain scans looking for brain and spinal cord damage caused by MS. The volunteers were followed between 6 and 17 years in total (11 years on average). The authors finally assessed their disability scores. These scores range from zero to 10, with higher scores indicating increasing disability.

The earlier the treatment, the less the disability

Results: People treated within six months of their first episode were less likely to achieve a disability score of 3 at the end of the study, compared to those in the group with the longest treatment delay. A score of 3 indicates that these patients have no problem walking, but have moderate disability in one function or slight disability in three or four functions.

These functions include muscle weakness, balance and coordination, and bladder control. People in this first treatment group were also less likely to develop secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, in which neurological function and disability steadily worsen. Finally, these patients were more likely to remain stable in their disease one year after the start of treatment.

“When it comes to MS treatment, the sooner the better“explains study author Dr. Alvaro Cobo-Calvo, from the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia and the Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain, in a statement.Our study found that starting treatment within six months of first symptoms is associated with a lower risk of disability over time.”