Multiple sclerosis does not have a cure
- Treatment
Multiple sclerosis does not have a cure. Even so, various treatment strategies can speed recovery from MS-related attacks, alter its course, and manage subsequent symptoms. The primary goal of treating MS involves using therapies to prevent damaged areas (Gossman, “Treatment/Management”). During the 1990s, MS treatments were injectable, but medical and pharmacological advancements influenced the introduction of oral and infusion therapies. Primarily, modern therapies target the most common form of the disease – relapsing-remitting therapies. By 2017, the European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration approved the first therapy for primary progressive MS (“Treatment/Management”).
Disease-modifying agents are used in therapy to shorten the duration of acute exacerbations, curtail their frequency, and provide symptomatic relief. According to Goldenberg (177), disease-modifying treatments include intravenous dexamethasone and brief corticosteroids to maintain functioning and improve quality of life. The FDA and EMA have also licensed 12 products to control MS symptoms (Appendix Fig. 2). First-line therapy medication for relapsing-remitting MS includes Interferon-β-1a variants and Glatiramer (177). These drugs are efficient in curtailing the relapse rate, delaying neurological disability progression, and reducing the severity of ameliorating relapse. Dimethyl fumarate reduces the relapse rate by nearly 50% (178).
- Prognosis
Estimates show that close to half a million patients in the US suffer from the disease, subjecting approximately 50% of the patients to mobility assistance within 15 years after its onset (Goldenberg 175). Accordingly, more than half of the patients depend on walking aid or are on wheelchairs. Depression and suicide rate among MS patients is statistically higher compared to the general population (Ghasemi et al. 2). However, estimating the average longevity among MS patients remains a challenge considering that the disease varies with individuals. According to Huang et al., poor prognosis is mainly due to the advanced age of patients and an increased number of relapses in the early stages (3164). The most common reasons for MS patients’ death are secondary, compromised swallowing, challenges in breathing, chronic urinary tract infections, and immobility.