April 20, 2023 – Researchers have discovered a treatment that may delay the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, which could help people in whom brain imaging can detect early signs of the debilitating disease.
Giving a drug called teriflunomide to individuals with a typical precursor to MS, called radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), reduced the danger of developing MS symptoms for the primary time by 72%, in comparison with individuals with RIS who took a placebo. (RIS is a condition wherein brain and spinal cord abnormalities resemble those of individuals with MS, but there are not any symptoms.)
The results will probably be presented next week on the seventy fifth Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston. The study involved 89 people diagnosed with RIS, half of whom received the experimental treatment. The participants were followed for 2 years.
In individuals with MS, the body's immune system attacks myelin, the fatty white substance that insulates and protects nerves. Symptoms of MS include fatigue, numbness, tingling, and difficulty walking. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society It is estimated that just about 1 million people within the United States are affected by the disease.
According to the MS Society, about half of individuals with RIS develop MS inside 10 years.
In the study, eight people taking the drug developed MS inside two years, in comparison with 20 people taking the placebo. MS is an incurable disease, although there are a lot of treatments to manage symptoms, get well from attacks and slow progression. According to the Mayo ClinicTeriflunomide is utilized by MS patients to cut back the relapse rate. Risks of taking it include liver damage, hair loss and birth defects.
“As more and more people undergo brain scans for various reasons, such as headaches or head injuries, more and more of these cases are being discovered and many of these people later develop MS,” said study writer Christine Lebrun Frenay, MD, PhD, of the University Hospital of Nice in France, in a opinion“The earlier a person can be treated for MS, the greater the chances of delaying myelin damage, reducing the risk of permanent neurological damage and debilitating symptoms.”
The researchers said a bigger study was needed to substantiate the preliminary results. This latest research was funded by Sanofi, the manufacturer of teriflunomide.