The longest study to date suggests that interferon prescribed early can help people with multiple sclerosis.

Nearly one million people around the world are affected by multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease of the nervous system. Typical symptoms include double vision, pins and needles and paralysis.

Interferon has been shown to be an effective treatment for MS and a new study suggests that the earlier it is started the better the outcome. Researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, US, compared a group of people with MS who began treatment within a month of their first symptoms with those who only began it within two years of the symptoms.

Those who started treatment early had a clear advantage. They were less likely to even receive a diagnosis of MS - presumably because their symptoms cleared up. And they were also less likely to have relapses. The study should alert doctors into the prompt diagnosis and treatment of MS.

Source

European Committee for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Meeting 20th September 2003