2023-07-20 14:00:00
Further proof that when it comes to treating multiple sclerosis, the sooner the better. Researchers have shown that starting treatment for the disease within six months of the first symptoms is associated with a lower risk of disability over time.
Their study was published in Neurology.
Multiple sclerosis: the first symptoms can be numerous
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which the immune system attacks myelin, the white, fatty substance that insulates and protects the nerves. Symptoms of MS can include fatigue, numbness, tingling or difficulty walking, the authors remind.
the SEP today affects 120,000 people in France, including 700 children. Three thousand new cases are diagnosed each year, according to the Ministry of Health.
Treatment consists of immunosuppressants, drugs that limit the action of the immune system. The High Authority for Health (HAS) indicates that four of them can be used in France in the fight against multiple sclerosis.
To carry out their work, the researchers examined 580 people with a first episode of symptoms, such as tingling, numbness, muscle weakness or balance problems, and who had received at least one disease-modifying drug. disease.
Early treatment of MS: 50% less risk of seeing the disease progress
They divided the participants into three groups: 194 people received their first treatment with an MS drug within six months of the first episode of symptoms, 192 people between six months and 16 months, and 194 people after more than 16 months. .
For 11 years, researchers tracked levels of disability and brain scans to detect brain and spinal cord damage from the disease in these people.
The benefits of treatments given early were visible: for example, researchers found that people who received the earliest treatment were 50% more likely to remain stable in their disease one year after their initial treatment than those in the group that received the latest treatment.
“Overall, our results support the strength and efficacy of very early treatment in halting the progression of long-term disability, and underscore that earlier detection and treatment are encouraged.“said study author Alvaro Cobo-Calvo, of the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia and the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain.
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