Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 44 No. 1, 2005.
Original scientific paper
Evaluation of Functional Status during Beta-Interferon Therapy
Marijana Lisak
Zlatko Trkanjec
Marija Bošnjak-Pašić
Vida Demarin
Abstract
Twenty patients (11 female and 9 male) with remitting relapsing multiple sclerosis were treated with beta interferon at University Department of Neurology, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital. Thirteen patients were treated with interferon beta-1a (6 MIU 3 times weekly) and seven patients with interferon beta-1b (9.6 MIU every other day). The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was recorded before interferon therapy and six months after initiation of interferon therapy. The mean EDSS score was slightly lower after six months of interferon therapy in both groups, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.17 in interferon beta-1a group and p=0.36 in interferon beta-1b group). Results in this small group of patients showed early improvement in the functional status of multiple sclerosis patients during interferon therapy. Further follow-up is required to get additional information on the course of functional improvement in multiple sclerosis patients after a
prolonged period of interferon therapy.
Keywords
Multiple sclerosis - drug therapy; Interferon-beta - therapy use; Adjuvants immunology therapeutic use
Hrčak ID:
14230
URI
Publication date:
3.3.2005.
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