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.