More MS news articles for June 2003

Contrasting effects of IFNß and IVIG in children with central and peripheral demyelination

http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/60/10/1697

Neurology 2003;60:1697-1699
I. Pirko, MD, N. L. Kuntz, MD, M. Patterson, MD, B. M. Keegan, MD, B. G. Weinshenker, MD and M. Rodriguez, MD
From the Departments of Neurology (Drs. Pirko, Kuntz, Keegan, Weinshenker, and Rodriguez) and Immunology (Dr. Rodriguez), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Columbia University (Dr. Patterson), New York.

Reported are three children with MS who responded dramatically to interferon-ß (IFNß) therapy.

While on immunomodulatory therapy, they developed chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) that responded to IV immunoglobulin (IVIG) administration.

These cases emphasize two interesting observations:

1) IFNß treatment did not prevent development of CIDP;

2) CIDP in the context of MS responded to IVIG, even though IVIG had no therapeutic effect on the central demyelinating disease.