[Quality of life in multiple sclerosis and pharmaco-economic studies]. / Kachestvo zhizni bol'nykh rasseiannym sklerozom i nekotorye podkhody k farmakoékonomicheskim issledovaniiam.

Early disability and its rapid progression emphasize the medico-social importance of MS. The widely used disease-modifying treatments allowed to delay the time of severe disability, but this way of treatment is very expensive. The cost of MS is discussed based on literature data. The level of the cost of MS greatly depends on the disease severity and activity. Thus the studies of quality of life (QL) and pharmacoeconomical analysis, besides neurological scales, can give important additional information for clinical trials. First such studies in Europe in patients with secondary progressive MS showed a delay in progression of QL indexes in patients under Betaferon treatment in comparison to placebo. We studied changes in MOS SF-36 and WHO QL scales in groups of 60 MS patients, receiving Rebif or Copaxone. After 3 months of Rebif significant positive changes in scales, reflecting physical and social activity of MS patients, were found. At the same time negative changes in the "Pain" scale might reflect the presence of local side effects of beta-interferons treatment. No statistically significant changes in QL indexes under treatment with Copaxone were seen. The results of QL testing were associated with data of neuropsychological tests, characterizing chronic fatigue and depression. Thus the measurement of QL indexes may be a source of significant additional information, estimating the effecis of treatment and is the basic for pharmacoeconomical analysis.

[The use of NMR tomography for the dynamic observation of patients with disseminated sclerosis]. / Ispol'zovanie IaMR-tomografii dlia dinamicheskogo nabliudeniia za bol'nymi rasseiannym sklerozom.

NMR-tomography data and clinical topographic parallels were followed up in 27 multiple sclerosis patients on treatment. Primary NMR tomography identified disseminated foci of more intensive signal in the brain and spinal cord of 78% of the patients. In 6 patients the diagnosis was not confirmed, in 21 patients there was tomographic evidence of various disorders: foci of hyperintensity associated with ventricular system enlargement, cerebral atrophy, hyperintensity zones. The number of more intensive signal foci correlated with the disease severity. Hemispheric foci of hyperintensity were clinically most important. Most of the foci were localized in periventricular region. Changes in the above parameters were observed only 1-2 years after the treatment. It is inferred that NMR tomography is both diagnostic and follow-up tool in multiple sclerosis.

[Clinico-immunological monitoring of the condition of patients with multiple sclerosis]. / Kliniko-immunologicheskii monitoring sostoianiia bol'nykh rasseiannym sklerozom.

The clinico-immunologic monitoring of 50 patients suffering from genuine multiple sclerosis by means of the clinical, neurophysiological and immunologic methods and NMR tomography attests to the relationship between changes in the clinical and immunologic characteristics. The changes in the immunologic characteristics were found to anticipate the clinical ones. The authors provide evidence for the possibility and necessity of the clinico-immunologic monitoring of the patients' status for predicting the further course of the disease.