Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease that attacks myelinated axons in the central nervous system (CNS) and often causes significant physical disability over time. The hallmark of MS is symptomatic episodes "separated in time and space," which are heralded by symptoms that reflect CNS involvement.
MS is divided into categories on the basis of clinical criteria that include the frequency of clinical relapses, time to disease progression, and lesion development on MRI:
relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) (approximately 85% of MS cases)
secondary progressive MS (SPMS)
recently applied subdesignations included active or not active and with or without progression (important because active SPMS warrants ongoing immune therapy)
primary progressive MS (PPMS)
clinically isolated syndrome
Most patients with RRMS will eventually develop SPMS, with variable rates of progression.
Treatment of MS is centered around immunomodulatory therapy for the underlying immune disorder, coupled with therapies to relieve or modify symptoms. With the advent of newer disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), treatment goals are to reduce relapse frequency and MRI disease activity, and ultimately limit progression of disability.
Do you know how to manage RRMS? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Christopher Luzzio, Kerstin Hellwig. Fast Five Quiz: Managing Progression of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis - Medscape - Jul 01, 2022.
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