scholarly journals Benefit with methylprednisolone in continuous pulsetherapy in progressive primary form of multiple sclerosis: study of 11 cases in 11 years

2008 ◽  
Vol 66 (2b) ◽  
pp. 350-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmar A.S. de Araújo ◽  
Marcos R. Gomes de Freitas
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Glucose Solution ◽  
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
The Third ◽  
Weekly Session ◽  
Clinical Worsening ◽  
Progressive Course ◽  
Primary Form

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is defined clinically with a progressive course from onset. There is no approved treatment for the PPMS. Methylprednisolone IV (MP) hastens the recovery from MS relapses. We studied 11 patients that met the MacDonald's diagnostic criteria for PPMS. The dose of MP was 30 mg/kg in 250 mL of glucose solution in three consecutive days during the first week, two doses during the second and one dose in the third week. One weekly session for eight consecutive weeks was given. After, a once-a week/eight-week interval was maintained. The medium EDSS before treatment was 6.2, and after 11.2 years of treatment, the EDSS was 4.9. Although we studied a small sample of PPMS we may conclude that therapy with IVMP prevents clinical worsening of MS in the majority of patients with improvement in EDSS scores.

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis: a distinct syndrome?

1996 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
GV McDonnell ◽  
SA Hawkins
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Progressive Disease ◽  
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Progressive Decline ◽  
Primary Progressive ◽  
Therapeutic Trials ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Progressive Course

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.

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