PMID: 2483962Sep 1, 1989Paper

Multiple sclerosis. II. A critical assessment of immunotherapy.

Rivista di neurologia
L Durelli, L Bergamini

Abstract

The profound changes undergone by the immune system in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) suggest that any therapeutic protocol should take immunosuppressive therapy into consideration. The results of the numerous clinical trials should be assessed extremely cautiously in the light of the variable and unpredictable course of MS. Immunosuppressive therapies may act specifically by inhibiting a certain stage in the immune response, or, by contrast, by inducing an overall inhibition of the immune system. Low dosage, aspecific immunosuppressive therapeutic protocols with corticosteroids or azathioprine are used routinely, although there is no sure evidence of their effects. There are, however, unquestionable data on the numerous (and serious) side effects. High dosage, aspecific immunosuppression appears to be better tolerated (probably due to the brevity of the therapies) and to have certain immunodepressant effect within the CNS. ACTH and methylprednisolone are recommended for short-term relapse therapy. Research work on high dosage cyclophosphamide and total lymphoid irradiation is still too limited. Specific immunosuppressive treatment will no doubt be part of future autoimmune disease therapy, but for the time being is no more than theor...Continue Reading

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