Primary progressive multiple sclerosis: a distinct syndrome?

1996 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
GV McDonnell ◽  
SA Hawkins

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has long been recognised to have both a relapsing-remitting and progressive course. More recently patients with progressive disease have been further sub-divided into those with a progressive course from onset (primary progressive MS) and those with progressive decline following an initially relapsing-remitting period (secondary progressive MS). Diversity in MS may not however be restricted to clinical course. There is growing evidence that the subgroups of MS also differ with respect to clinical features, epidemiology, pathogenesis, genetics and neuroimaging appearances. In this review we outline the criteria variously applied in the classification of MS patients, addressing the need for a dear nomenclature. We evaluate the proposition that primary progressive MS has a prof ile distinct from other MS categories, contrasting the separate differential diagnoses and examining the implications for future therapeutic trials.

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1032-1036 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. A. Wijnands ◽  
F. Zhu ◽  
E. Kingwell ◽  
Y. Zhao ◽  
C. Evans ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Amatruda ◽  
Maria Petracca ◽  
Maureen Wentling ◽  
Benjamin Inbar ◽  
Kamilah Castro ◽  
...  

Abstract The disease course of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is uncertain. In an attempt to identify potential signaling pathways involved in the evolution of the disease, we conducted an exploratory unbiased lipidomic analysis of plasma from non-diseased controls (n = 8) and patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS, n = 19) and either a rapid (PPMS-P, n = 9) or slow (PPMS-NP, n = 10) disease course based on worsening disability and/or MRI-visible appearance of new T2 lesions over a one-year-assessment. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis of the MS/MSALL lipidomic dataset, identified lipids driving the clustering of the groups. Among these lipids, sphingomyelin-d18:1/14:0 and mono-hexosylceramide-d18:1/20:0 were differentially abundant in the plasma of PPMS patients compared to controls and their levels correlated with MRI signs of disease progression. Lyso-phosphatidic acid-18:2 (LPA-18:2) was the only lipid with significantly lower abundance in PPMS patients with a rapidly deteriorating disease course, and its levels inversely correlated with the severity of the neurological deficit. Decreased levels of LPA-18:2 were detected in patients with more rapid disease progression, regardless of therapy and these findings were validated in an independent cohort of secondary progressive (SPMS) patients, but not in a third cohorts of relapsing–remitting (RRMS) patients. Collectively, our analysis suggests that sphingomyelin-d18:1/14:0, mono-hexosylceramide-d18:1/20:0, and LPA-18:2 may represent important targets for future studies aimed at understanding disease progression in MS.


2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 1428-1436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giancarlo Comi

The last 20 years have seen major progress in the treatment of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) using a variety of drugs targeting immune dysfunction. In contrast, all clinical trials of such agents in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) have failed and there is limited evidence of their efficacy in secondary progressive disease. Evolving concepts of the complex interplay between inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes across the course of multiple sclerosis (MS) may explain this discrepancy. This paper will provide an up-to-date overview of the rationale and results of the published clinical trials that have sought to alter the trajectory of both primary and secondary MS, considering studies involving drugs with a primary immune target and also those aiming for neuroprotection. Future areas of study will be discussed, building on these results combined with the experience of treating RRMS and new concepts emerging from laboratory science and animal models.


2011 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 590-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dóra-Neide Rodrigues ◽  
Renata Alves Paes ◽  
Claudia Cristina Ferreira Vasconcelos ◽  
Jesus Landeira-Fernandez ◽  
Maria Papais Alvarenga

Cognitive impairment is a symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). Different clinical forms of multiple sclerosis have different cognitive profiles, according to findings of previous studies which used extensive batteries of neuropsychological tests. OBJECTIVE: To investigate cognitive profiles of Brazilian patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) by using a brief battery of neuropsychological tests. METHOD: Sixty-six patients, within 18-65 of age and 3-18 years of education, were paired with healthy control subjects, regarding gender, age, and education level. RESULTS: On Symbol Digit Modalities Test and Hooper Visual Organization Test, cognition was affected in 50% in RRMS and 69% in PPMS. Fluency of "F" was impaired in 24% of RRMS and 81% of PPMS. Immediate recall was affected in 32% of RRMS and in 63% of PPMS; whereas late recall, in 46% of relapsing-remitting and in 69% of primary progressive. CONCLUSION: Cognitive profiles of relapsing-remitting and primary progressive patients are different


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Murgia ◽  
Lorena Lorefice ◽  
Simone Poddighe ◽  
Giuseppe Fenu ◽  
Maria Antonietta Secci ◽  
...  

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic immunemediated disease of the central nervous system with a highly variable clinical presentation and disease progression. In this study, we investigate the metabolomics profile of patients affected by relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS)and primary progressive MS (PPMS), in order to find potential biomarkers to distinguish between the two forms. Methods: Cerebrospinal Fluid CSF and blood samples of 34 patients (RRMS n = 22, PPMS n = 12) were collected. Nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and mass spectrometry (coupled with a gas chromatography and liquid chromatography) were used as analytical techniques. Subsequently, a multivariate statistical analysis was performed; the resulting significant variables underwent U-Mann–Whitney test and correction for multiple comparisons. Receiver Operating Characteristic ROC curves were built and the pathways analysis was conducted. Results: The analysis of the serum and the CSF of the two classes, allowed the identification of several altered metabolites (lipids, biogenic amines, and amino acids). The pathways analysis indicated the following pathways were affected: Glutathione metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, glutamine–glutamate metabolism, arginine–ornithine metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis etc. Conclusion: The analysis allowed the identification of a set of metabolites able to classify RRMS and PPMS patients, each of whom express different patterns of metabolites in the two biofluids.


2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. A12.1-A12
Author(s):  
Jordana Hughes ◽  
Vilija Jokubaitis ◽  
Mark Slee ◽  
Jeannette Lechner-Scott ◽  
Anneke Van der Walt ◽  
...  

IntroductionWe showed that the available immunotherapies do not modify disability outcomes when used in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. However, these therapies are effective in advanced active multiple sclerosis. Primary progressive multiple sclerosis may present with or without superimposed relapses. Significance of these relapses for disability accumulation and treatment remains contested. We aimed to examine the effect of the available immunotherapies in primary progressive multiple sclerosis.Methods1427 eligible patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis from MSBase were studied. Confirmed disability progression of disability was compared between treated and untreated propensity score-matched cohorts. Multivariable regression models were used to compare disability accrual between primary progressive multiple sclerosis with and without superimposed relapses. Finally, the effect of therapy on disability accrual in cohorts with and without superimposed relapses was analysed.Results173 treated and 373 untreated patients were matched. No differences in the risk of disability progression (p=0.79) and improvement (p=0.98) were observed over the median 3 year follow-up.The likelihood of disability progression was relatively lower in patients with superimposed relapses (hazard ratio=0.83, p<0.01). We observed an association between the proportion of time on immunotherapy and the hazard of disability progression in active (hazard ratio=0.96, p=0.01) but not in the inactive primary progressive disease (p=0.21).ConclusionSuperimposed relapses in primary progressive multiple sclerosis represent a favourable prognostic marker, associated with slower disability accrual. This is most likely attributed to the effectiveness of immunotherapy in active primary progressive disease. Relapse activity, therefore, is a treatable modifier of disability accrual in primary progressive disease.


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