Treatment Delay Associated with Worse Disability in Multiple Sclerosis

Identifying the long-term impact of a delay in treatment has always been a major question in the multiple sclerosis (MS) field. To shed light on the problem, researchers identified 906 patients diagnosed with MS from 2001 through 2007 who previously participated in a registry to observe MS outcomes. Of these patients, 708 had received a total of 1484 immunomodulatory treatments; 69% were injectables, 19% natalizumab, 7% fingolimod, and 5% rituximab. Patients who started treatment within 3 years after diagnosis were matched with patients who started treatment later.

Risk for Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS) worsening to ≥4 (moderate disability in at least 1 domain) increased by 5% to 7% for each year of treatment delay (hazard ratio, 1…