Source Multiple Sclerosis News Today: Recovering well after a first relapse and starting a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) immediately afterwards considerably increases the likelihood of slowing progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests.
Its findings support relapse recovery as a critical factor for DMT initiation, and one that should be assessed routinely in MS clinical trials, researchers said.
The study, “Relapse recovery: The forgotten variable in multiple sclerosis clinical trials,” was published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation.
How well a person recovers from an MS relapse is known to affect long-term disease course, with partial recovery being associated with residual disability and earlier onset of progressive MS.
While the effectiveness of DMTs — treatments that reduce the activity and progression of a disease — is known to lessen over time with MS, the role of early relapse recovery in their effectiveness remains unclear. Read on.