Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers and Prognosis in Multiple Sclerosis

In this retrospective analysis, investigators sought to determine whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers could predict future disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS). Included were 143 patients with MS who had undergone diagnostic lumbar punctures at initial presentation. Three markers of macrophage and microglial proteins were measured: chitotriosidase (CHIT1), chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1), and soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (sTREM2); neurofilament light chain (NfL) was measured to determine neuronal damage.

CHIT1 was associated with relapse rate at a median 6 years' follow-up, disability according to the Age-Related MS Severity Score at a median 5 years' follow-up, and MRI lesion volume along with…