Multiple Sclerosis can be contained with high-risk treatment, new study finds
Disease, which affects more than two million people worldwide, is lifelong condition
Doctors said Friday they have found an effective way of containing multiple sclerosis (MS), but with a treatment so high-risk it cannot be widely used.
They treated 24 MS patients in Canada with potent chemotherapy, basically destroying their immune systems ahead of a stem cell transplant.
In 23 patients, the combination treatment stopped relapses and the development of new brain lesions without the need for chronic medication, the team reported in The Lancet. “Eight of the 23 patients had a sustained improvement in their disability 7.5 years after treatment,” said a statement issued by the medical journal. One of the 24 died from liver failure and sepsis caused by the chemotherapy.
“This is the first treatment to produce this level of disease control or neurological recovery from MS, but treatment-related risks limit its widespread use,” said the statement.
Multiple sclerosis affects more than two million people worldwide. It is caused when a person’s body is attacked by its own immune system, causing a range of symptoms from mild to debilitating, including problems with vision, movement and balance. It is a lifelong condition.
In some cases, symptoms come and go in phases called relapses, while in others they become progressively worse over time. There are treatments to control symptoms, but no cure and no way to prevent relapses or to slow the progression.