Neurotherapeutic Strategies for Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurologic disease of young adults. There are now 16 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved disease-modifying therapies for MS as well as a cohort of other agents commonly used in practice when conventional therapies prove inadequate. This article discusses approved FDA therapies as well as commonly used practice-based therapies for MS, as well as those therapies that can be used in patients attempting to become pregnant, or in patients with an established pregnancy, who require concomitant treatment secondary to recalcitrant disease activity.

Aquatic training in MS: neurotherapeutic impact upon quality of life.

Three fundamental principals associated with aquatic therapy differentiate it with respect to exercise on land, and in air. These are buoyancy (reduction in weight of the body within the buoyant medium of water), viscosity (a "drag force" is generated when moving within water, when compared with the same movement in air), and the thermodynamic aspect of water exercise, during which the heat capacity of water is about 1000 times greater than that of an equivalent amount of air; equating to a heat transfer from the body into water at a rate 25 times faster than that of air. Aquatic conditioning, can improve neurologic functioning, with dividends favorably impacting activities of daily living, health maintenance, safety, and ultimately quality of life. Here, we review the application of aquatic exercise training in MS patients.

Facilitating medication adherence in patients with multiple sclerosis.

This article reviews adherence to medication in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients from the perspective of nurse and social worker authors. It reviews data on patient adherence and offers practical, evidence-based strategies that health-care providers can use to facilitate adherence. In addition, it examines how emerging MS therapies may affect patient adherence and associated interventions. To promote adherence, interventions need to incorporate new and creative approaches. A proactive approach includes assessing patient needs and lifestyle before the start of medication and selecting the most appropriate disease-modifying therapy for each individual patient. Including multidisciplinary expertise and services in the treatment plan can be part of a comprehensive, holistic approach to helping patients and families. Optimization of health-care provider roles is likely to facilitate improved adherence.

Symptomatic therapy in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is the most common disabling neurological disease of young adults. The ability to impact the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis should not only incorporate therapies that are disease modifying, but should also include a course of action for the global multidisciplinary management focused on quality of life and functional capabilities.

A one-year prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, quadruple-blinded, phase II safety pilot trial of combination therapy with interferon beta-1a and mycophenolate mofetil in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (TIME MS).

BACKGROUND: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an oral DNA base synthesis inhibitor with immunomodulatory effects on B cells, T cells, and macrophages. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a safety and tolerability pilot study of interferon beta-1a (IFN-b1a) in combination with either placebo or oral MMF in multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: Twenty-four treatment-naïve R-RMS patients participated in a one-year prospective, placebo-controlled, blinded, safety pilot clinical trial. Every patient injected weekly intramuscular interferon beta-1a. The cohort was then randomized (1 : 1) to either active oral MMF or identical-appearing placebo tablets. Clinical evaluations were assessed every 3 months, along with brain MRI scans performed at baseline and repeated every 60 days for one year. Comprehensive laboratory assessments were monitored for safety, along with adverse events. RESULTS: In this small pilot investigation, no differences were identified between the two treatment groups with respect to patient-reported adverse events, MRI metrics, or laboratory abnormalities. Notwithstanding these observations, and the limited number of patients treated, trends appeared to favor the combination therapy regimen. CONCLUSIONS: The combination treatment regimen of interferon beta-1a and MMF appeared to be well tolerated in this pilot study. Despite the small sample size, therapeutic trends were observed in favor of combination therapy. An adequately powered controlled trial of MMF in MS appears warranted.

A randomized, blinded, parallel-group, pilot trial of mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept) compared with interferon beta-1a (Avonex) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF, CellCept®) has been utilized as an antirejection agent in transplant recipients and in patients with myriad autoimmune disorders including multiple sclerosis (MS). OBJECTIVE: To investigate radiographic and clinical safety involving monotherapy use of daily oral MMF (1 g b.i.d.) versus weekly intramuscular interferon beta 1a (Avonex® at 30 mcg) in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). METHODS: We organized a randomized, serial, 6-monthly, MRI-blinded, parallel-group multicenter pilot study to determine the safety of MMF versus interferon beta monotherapy in 35 untreated patients with RRMS, all of whom exhibited evidence of gadolinium (Gd) enhancement on a screening MRI of the brain. The primary outcome was the reduction in the cumulative mean number of combined active lesions (CAL), new Gd-enhancing lesions, and new T2 lesions on MRI analyses. RESULTS: Both interferon beta and MMF appeared safe and well tolerated in the majority of patients. There was no difference between MMF therapy and the standard regimen of interferon beta therapy on the primary safety MRI endpoints of the study. However, the MMF group showed a trend toward a lower accumulation of combined active lesions, CAL, Gd and T2 lesions when compared with interferon beta treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this pilot study suggest that the application of MMF monotherapy in MS deserves further exploration.

Factors that influence adherence with disease-modifying therapy in MS.

BACKGROUND: The complexity and cost of injection treatment can represent a formidable challenge for patients affected by a chronic illness, particularly those whose treatment is primarily preventative and only modestly effective on the more conspicuous symptomatic aspects of the disease process. The aim of this investigation was to identify which factors most influenced nonadherent behavior with the available disease-modifying injection therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: A multicenter, observational (three-wave) study using surveys was developed and administered to patients with MS through the World Wide Web. Healthcare providers at 17 neurology clinics recruited patients for the study. RESULTS: A total of 798 patients responded to the baseline wave of the study (708 responded to all three waves). The nonadherence rates for all patients (missing one or more injections) across these waves remained relatively stable at 39%, 37%, and 36%, respectively. The most common reason participants listed for missing injections was that they simply forgot to administer the medication (58%). Other factors including injection-site reactions, quality of life, patients' perceptions on the injectable medications, hope, depression, and support were also assessed in relation to adherence. CONCLUSIONS: This study characterizes factors that are associated with failure to fully adhere with disease modifying injection therapy for MS and underscores the principles associated with optimizing adherence and its implications for effective treatment of the disease process in MS.

Multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is the most common disabling neurologic disease affecting young adults and adolescents in the United States. The first objective of this article is to familiarize nonspecialists with the cardinal features of multiple sclerosis and our current understanding of its etiology, epidemiology, and natural history. The second objective is to explain the approach to diagnosis. The third is to clarify current evidence-based treatment strategies and their roles in disease modification. The overall goal is to facilitate the timely evaluation and confirmation of diagnosis and enhance effective management through collaboration among primary physicians, neurologists, and other care providers who are confronted with these formidably challenging patients.

Sexual dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis: a multidisciplinary approach to evaluation and management.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of progressive neurological disability in young adults. In addition to spasticity, tremors, weakness, sensory disturbances, depression, cognitive problems, and bladder or bowel dysfunction, sexual dysfunction (SD) is also a prevalent and destructive manifestation of the disease that severely affects quality of life. Evaluation of this disorder requires insight into the primary (changes that directly affect libido, sexual response and orgasm due to direct damage to the nervous system), secondary (complaints which are related to the physical disability of MS, such as fatigue, muscle rigidity, weakness and spasms), and tertiary (emotional, social and cultural aspects of MS) components of MS-associated SD. Given the complexity and multifactorial nature of SD, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary when treating patients with MS. The aim of this Review is to provide a holistic approach to the evaluation and management of SD in patients with MS, incorporating the latest data from the fields of urology, neurology, nursing, social work, and psychology. What is currently known regarding the evaluation and management of SD in patients with MS will be presented from the perspective of these specialties.