AAN 2021 Poster Picks – Day 2
AAN 2021 Poster Picks – Day 1
Poster 150 – Characterizing 1-Year Development of Cervical Cord Atrophy Across Different MS Phenotypes: A Voxel-Wise, Multicenter Analysis
Massimo Filippi, MD
Objective: Evaluate the change in cervical cord atrophy over time.
Data source: 3D T1 cervical cord scans in 110 MS patients vs. 54 healthy controls.
Results
- MS patients had significant atrophy in C1/C2 anterior, posterior/lateral, and C4-C6 posterior cord vs. healthy controls; and significant atrophy in posterior/lateral C2-C4 regions vs. CIS.
- Progressive MS had widespread cord atrophy at C4-C5 and C7 vs. RRMS.
- CIS did not show changes in cord atrophy at 1 year.
- RRMS had progression of cord atrophy at posterior/lateral C2 and C4-C6 at 1 year.
- Level of baseline disability was strongly related to cord atrophy at posterior/lateral C2-C4; baseline atrophy in lateral C3-C4 regions was predictive of clinical disability at 1-year follow-up.
Conclusions
Cord atrophy was clinically relevant and contributed to disability at 1-year follow-up.
Poster 170 – Clinical Characteristics and Disease Burden of African, Caribbean, and Black People with Multiple Sclerosis in Toronto, Canada
Andrea Kuczynski, MD, PhD
Objective: Compare disease characteristics in MS patients who are African/Caribbean/Black (ACB) vs. European ancestry (EUR)
Data source: ACB (n=172) and EUR (n=174) MS patients managed at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto. Mean age 43 years; mean MS duration 14 years.
Results
- Annualized relapse rate was similar in the ACB and EUR groups (0.47 vs. 0.41)
- Median EDSS score 2.0 for both groups at last visit
- 25% of MRIs had new/enlarging T2 lesions at last visit in both groups
- Disability progression over time was significantly greater in ACB vs. EUR (43% vs. 33%)
- MS Severity score (3.17 vs. 2.58) and Progression Index (0.27 vs. 0.30) were similar.
- No difference in use of higher-efficacy DMTs.
Conclusions
In contrast to previous studies, MS disease activity and severity were generally comparable between ACB and EUR. Differences in environmental, genetic or epigenetic factors and access to healthcare may explain the discrepancy.
AAN 2021 Poster Picks – Day 2
AAN 2021 Poster Picks – Day 1