By Andrew Wilner, MD
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- September 24, 2008 -- Acute relapses in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) rarely lead to disability, according to a retrospective chart review presented here at the American Neurological Association (ANA) 133rd Annual Meeting.
Loren Rolak, MD, Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, Wisconsin, explained that many patients with MS fear they "might wake up paralyzed" from an acute relapse.
To assess the likelihood of severe disability from an acute relapse, Dr. Rolak examined the clinical course of 1,078 patients with relapsing-remitting MS over the last 14 years from his own database of patients with MS treated at Marshfield Clinic.
The patients in the database had a total of 2,587 attacks (mean of 2.4 attacks per patient, range: 1-14 attacks over 1-34 years). Only 7 of 1,078 patients (0.6%) had an attack that resulted in severe disability, defined as an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 6 or more sustained for longer than 6 months.
Two of the 7 patients who had an attack that resulted in severe disability presented with an acute severe attack at the time of their diagnosis with MS. Of the remaining 5 patients, 2 were taking interferon beta-1b, which did not prevent the severe disability. The other 3 were not taking interferon or glatiramer-acetate therapy.
Genetic analysis failed to reveal any association between major histocompatibility complex class II DR beta 1 (HLA-DRB1) or nitric oxide synthase (NOS2A) genotypes and severe disability from an acute relapse.
Dr. Rolak concluded, "These results allow me to reassure my patients that a relapse with severe disability is extremely unlikely -- whether or not they are treated with disease-modifying therapy. Consequently, the fear of irreversible disability should not influence their decision to take interferons or other treatment."
[Presentation title: What Is the Risk of Permanent Disability From an MS Attack? Abstract T-91]
