Outcomes of Early Treatment in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis

To evaluate the impact of early treatment on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), investigators conducted a retrospective, observational study of patients who presented with a first demyelinating event from 1994 to 2021. The study involved 580 treated patients, whose disease severity was analyzed after adjustment through propensity scoring (mean follow-up, 11 years).

Time to treatment was divided into tertiles of very early (within 6 months of disease onset; 194 patients), early (6–16 months; 192 patients), or late (after 16 months; 194 patients). Compared with late treatment, very early treatment significantly reduced the likelihood of reaching a 3.0 on the Expanded Disability Status Scale by 45%, of secondary progressive MS by 60%, and o…