Progression of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis despite the new era of treatments Gutemberg Augusto Cruz dos Santos, Gabriel Etienne Brito de Salles, Milenna Grisoli Martins da Silva, Roxanne Cabral Cabral Medicina Brazil, 2022 Objective. The present study aims to evaluate the conditions associated with the progression of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and patients' dysfunctions. Methods. We perform a retrospective longitudinal analytical observational study in 46 patients with MS from a polyclinic at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We used the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) to rank the patients according to their disability and establish correlation with risk factors, treatment and time of disease. Results. Of 46 patients, 69.6% were female and 67.4% were white. Patients with fewer functional systems affected at the beginning of the disease had a longer time for disease progression, according to EDSS. Low efficacy drugs led to a high rate of discontinuation of the treatment. Patients who used a continuously treatment took longer to reach higher EDSS values than those who discontinued treatment. Conclusion. Despite the control of MS with high effective drugs, there is still some disability for the patient. The factors that influenced the progression of the disability were: multiple symptoms at the beginning of the disease, more than 30 years old at the beginning of the MS, delay in diagnosis and initiation of treatment, among others.
Serological profile of John Cunningham Virus (JCV) in patients with multiple sclerosis Luciana Prats Branco, Tarso Adoni, Samira Luisa Apostolos-Pereira, Joseph Bruno Bidin Brooks, Eber Castro Correa, et al. Arquivos De Neuro Psiquiatria, 2018 Treatment options for multiple sclerosis (MS) have changed over the last few years, bringing about a new category of drugs with more efficient profiles. However, these drugs have come with a whole new profile of potential adverse events that neurologists have to learn well and quickly. One of the most feared complications of these MS treatments is progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy caused by the reactivation of the John Cunningham virus (JCV). Objective: To identify the serologic profile of JCV in patients with MS. Methods: Data on serum antibodies for JCV were obtained using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay provided by the STRATIFY-JCV program. Results: A total of 1,501 blood tests were obtained from 1,102 patients with MS. There were 633 patients (57.1%) who were positive for antibodies for JCV and 469 patients who were negative (42.9%). Twenty-three patients became positive after initially having negative JCV antibody status. The rate of seroconversion was 18.5% over 22 months. Conclusion: The JCV serologic profile and seroconversion in Brazilian patients were similar to those described in other countries.
