EFNS guideline on treatment of multiple sclerosis relapses: report of an EFNS task force on treatment of multiple sclerosis relapses
Relapses, exacerbations or attacks of multiple sclerosis are the dominating feature of relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), but are also observed in patients with secondary progressive MS. High‐dose methylprednisolone is the routine therapy for relapses at present, but other treatments are a...
Saved in:
Published in | European journal of neurology Vol. 12; no. 12; pp. 939 - 946 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Oxford, UK
Blackwell Science Ltd
01.12.2005
|
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Relapses, exacerbations or attacks of multiple sclerosis are the dominating feature of relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), but are also observed in patients with secondary progressive MS. High‐dose methylprednisolone is the routine therapy for relapses at present, but other treatments are also in current use. The objective of the task force was to review the literature on treatment of MS relapses to provide evidence‐based treatment recommendations. Review was carried out on the literature with classification of evidence according to the EFNS guidelines for scientific task forces. Short‐term, high‐dose methylprednisolone treatment should be considered for the treatment of relapses of MS (level A recommendation). The optimal glucocorticoid treatment regimen, in terms of clinical efficacy and adverse events, remains to be established. A more intense, interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme should be considered as this probably further improves recovery after treatment with methylprednisolone (level B recommendation). Plasma exchange is probably efficacious in a subgroup of patients with severe relapses not responding to methylprednisolone therapy, and should be considered in this patient subgroup (level B recommendation). There is a need for further randomized, controlled trials in order to establish the optimal treatment regimen for relapses of MS. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | ArticleID:ENE1352 istex:359B87AAD5C7464DDCBCA00EC5656174F5ABA9E2 ark:/67375/WNG-4RPN3GDP-4 ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Instructional Material/Guideline-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1351-5101 1468-1331 |
DOI: | 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2005.01352.x |