MS stem cell treatment only a 'miracle' for some

Conclusion This case-series showed that a new stem cell treatment reduced the disability in people with relapsing remitting MS up to four years after treatment. It worked in more than half of those given treatment. The authors claim that this was the first time this had been achieved, and is important because there is currently no cure for MS. Given the relative lack of alternative treatments for MS, these results are encouraging. However, there are issues to bear in mind. The average EDSS score before treatment in the group was 4.0. The scale goes from 10 (death due to MS), to 1.0 (no disability). Ratings above 5.0 involve impairment with walking. An average of 4.0 suggests most people didn’t have the more severe forms of MS. A small number of people with more severe MS were included in the study, but too few to reach any reliable conclusions about this subgroup. Therefore, the results are most applicable to those with non-severe relapsing remitting MS. The treatment only improved the main outcome (EDSS improvement of 1.0 or more) in 50% of people after two years, meaning it didn’t work in the other half. It worked for slightly more people after four years. It also didn’t work in people with MS over 10 years or those with secondary progressive MS. This suggests that selecting the most appropriate patient group for this treatment will be important. It doesn’t look like it would work for everyone. These preliminary findings are from an uncontrolled study. This means ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Source Type: news