Highlights of the 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS), Copenhagen, DK, October 2-5, 2013 – ECTRIMS 2013 featured data from a number of new treatment studies. The following is a summary of new studies in CIS and RRMS.
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Dietary sodium linked to increased disease activity in MS
October 4, 2013Highlights of the 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS), Copenhagen, DK, October 2-5, 2013 – A Yale University study presented earlier this year suggested that dietary sodium chloride levels may drive autoimmune diseases by induced pathogenic Th17 cells, based on results from mouse and human cell cultures (Kleinewietfeld et al. Nature 2013;496:518-522). In high-salt conditions, Th17 cells increased production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-2.
MRI measures provide reliable indication of treatment response
October 3, 2013Highlights of the 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS), Copenhagen, DK, October 2-5, 2013 – Recent treatment optimization recommendations have emphasized the importance of monitoring both clinical (relapses, EDSS progression) and radiological (T2 or T1 lesions) changes when assessing treatment response (Freedman et al. Can J Neurol Sci 2013;40: 307-323).
Better prognosis for OCB-negative patients
October 3, 2013Highlights of the 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS), Copenhagen, DK, October 2-5, 2013 – MRI has largely eclipsed CSF analysis of oligoclonal bands (OCB) as the preferred paraclinical assessment to support a diagnosis of MS and there are conflicting reports on the prognostic significance of OCB results. Some studies have found that OCB-negativity is prognostic of a more favourable long-term outcome (Joseph et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2009;80:292-296; Mandrioli et al. J Neurol 2008;255:1023-1031).
In contrast, a Canadian retrospective study of 451 MS patients reported that there was no association between OCB status and progression or relapse frequency (Siritho & Freedman. J Neurol Sci 2009;279:21-25). The clinical importance of OCBs was the focus of a recently published debate (Yes: Sandberg-Wollheim & Olsson. No: Tur & Montalban. Mult Scler 2013;19:714-718).