The interferon beta therapy after the first clinical episode of demyelination in multiple sclerosis

The currently available treatment of definite multiple sclerosis (MS) includes different preparations of interferon beta. Recently reported data of pathomorphological, MRI, MR-spectroscopy and immunohistochemical studies suggest that axonal damage secondary to inflammation appears at the very early stage of MS. Early pathological events can predict a future course of the disease. Inflammatory activity in relapsing MS does not confine to episodes of clinical impairment but often develops before the first episode and generally continues during remissions. Patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and an abnormal brain MRI scan are at high risk of developing clinically definite MS (CDMS). If the presence of lesions predisposes to MS, the number of lesions determines when disability will develop. The results of interferon beta trials in patients with CIS showed significant benefit of the treatment in decreasing risk of CDMS development.