Starting patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) on aggressive treatment earlier may help prevent the development of paramagnetic rim lesions (PRL), areas of chronic brain inflammation that are linked to faster decline due to the disease, suggests new research presented at the 149th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (ANA).
People with MS who have PRLs tend to have greater brain atrophy and disability. Treatment for MS includes low-, moderate- or high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), such as monoclonal antibodies, immunomodulators and immunosuppressants. While high-efficacy DMTs have more side effects, previous research suggests they may help prevent PRLs from forming (unlike low- or moderate-efficacy DMTs), potentially outweighing the downsides. No currently available DMT has been shown to reduce existing PRLs.