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Improving QoL in patients with schizophrenia

December 5, 2018

SPECIAL REPORT

In recent years, the goals of schizophrenia management have moved beyond the traditional model of treating positive and negative symptoms to a more holistic approach that emphasizes functional recovery, psychosocial functioning and quality of life (QoL) (Juckel & Morosini. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2008;21:630-639). Indeed, over a decade ago, Naber and colleagues proposed that quality of life should be considered as important as psychopathology in managing patients with schizophrenia (Naber et al. Schizophr Res 2001;50:79-88). To be sure, achieving symptomatic remission with antipsychotic medications is the necessary first step to functional recovery (Kokaçya et al. Noro Psikiyatr Ars 2016;53:328-333), and the prevention of clinical relapses will have the greatest impact on QoL (Briggs et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2008;6:105-13). A caveat, however, is that clinical effectiveness alone may not necessarily translate to improvements in QoL and patient self-rated life satisfaction, as the Clinical Antipsychotic Trial of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) study reported (Fervaha et al. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2014;24:1078-1085). Read More

Early diagnosis of MS – is it a myth?

November 28, 2018

The most recent iterations of the McDonald criteria have enabled an earlier diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (Lee et al. Eur J Neurol 2018; epublished October 26, 2018). However, it is unclear if MS is being diagnosed earlier in real-world practice, or if patients are then receiving earlier treatment with a disease-modifying therapy. Read More

Effect of MS treatment on cognitive dysfunction

November 15, 2018

A newly-published set of recommendations advocates increased professional and patient awareness of MS-related cognitive symptoms and their management. The recommendations were endorsed by the U.S. National MS Society, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and the International MS Cognition Society (Kalb et al. Mult Scler 2018; epublished October 10, 2018). Use of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) or other validated test is advised early on when the patient is clinically stable, with re-assessments at least annually to detect new-onset cognitive impairment, detect disease activity and evaluate progression of cognitive impairment. Annual screening for depression is also recommended. Read More

Overview of long-term data in RRMS

November 7, 2018

The following summarizes the long-term treatment data presented at ECTRIMS 2018.

Teriflunomide: The long-term (up to 12.5 years) efficacy and safety of teriflunomide were examined in a pooled analysis of phase II and phase III trials and their extensions (Freedman et al. ECTRIMS 2018; abstract P1233); cumulative drug exposure was 1357 patient-years. The annualized relapse for patients treated with teriflunomide 14 mg was 0.38 vs. 0.59 with placebo. The proportion of patients with serious adverse events and the proportion discontinuing due to adverse events was comparable with teriflunomide and placebo (12.4% vs. 12.8%; and 6.9% vs. 13.1%, respectively). Read More