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We aimed to assess the treatment strategies utilized in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) experiencing relapses, including their frequency, types, and response after 6 months based on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score., Methods: We conducted a retrospective study involving NMOSD patients from the Argentinean MS and NMOSD registry (RelevarEM, NCT03375177). Treatment response at 6 months was categorized as "good" if the EDSS score decreased by ≥1 point after a nadir EDSS score ≤ 3, or by ≥2 points after a nadir EDSS score > 3, "poor" if the EDSS score decrease was slighter, and as "absent" if the EDSS score remained unchanged or worsened., Results: We included 120 NMOSD patients (seropositive N = 75), who experienced 250 NMOSD-related relapses and received 248 treatments. At 6 months, complete recovery was achieved in 70/98 (71.4%) and 15/19 (79%) patients, respectively. Predictors of a "good" response in our regression model were a younger age at disease onset (OR:3.54, CI95% 2.45-5.01, p < 0.0001) and a short delay from onset of relapse to treatment initiation (OR:1.56, CI95% 1.22-2.13, p = 0.004)., Conclusions: Approximately two-thirds of patients experienced complete recovery, and younger age and a short delay to start treatment were independent predictors of a "good" response., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declared no potential conflict of interest with respect to this research, authorship, and/or publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine by a conjoint analysis the preferences for a range of disease-modifying treatment attributes in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and treating neurologists., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study throughout Argentina between August 2020 and February 2021. Participating patients were adults with relapsing-remitting MS, who had received a long-term specific disease-modifying treatment for at least the past 3 months and their treating neurologist. Patients and neurologist were sampled from the Argentinean MS patient registry (RelevarEM). We applied the methodology of conjoint analysis. Patient preferences for hypothetical treatment were collected from the overall sample and from stratified subgroups according to the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score. An ordinary least squares regression model was used to estimate parameters., Results: A total of 275 patients from 25 centers (31 principal investigators) were included, mean age was 43.2 ± 10.9 years, 59.6% were female, and mean EDSS was 3.1 ± 2. For the entire sample, we observed that patients had higher preferences for treatments with lower side effect risks (28.7 relative preference [RP]), lower frequency of administration (21.4 RP), and higher impact on relapses (19.6 RP). Patients with a higher EDSS give significantly greater importance to a less frequent administration regime and the oral route than patients with a lower EDSS (23.5 RP vs 20.1 [P =.02] and 17.1 vs 15.3 [P =.03], respectively). For neurologists, the most important attribute was to prevent disease progression (RP 29.3)., Conclusion: Our study contributes to the understanding of treatment selection preferences from the perspectives of both patient and neurologists., (Copyright © 2022 International Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: During the last 20 years, multiple sclerosis (MS) disease has seen major changes with new diagnostic criteria, a better identification of disease phenotypes, individualization of disease prognosis and the appearance of new therapeutic options in relapsing remitting as well as progressive MS. As a result, the management of MS patients has become more complex and challenging. The objective of these consensus recommendations was to review how the disease should be managed in Argentina to improve long-term outcomes in MS patients., Methods: A panel of 36 experts in neurology from Argentina, dedicated to the diagnosis and care of MS patients, gathered both virtually and in person during 2018 and 2019 to carry out a consensus recommendation on the management of MS patients in Argentina. To achieve consensus, the methodology of "formal consensus-RAND/UCLA method" was used., Results: Recommendations focused on diagnosis, disease prognosis, tailored treatment, treatment failure identification and pharmacovigilance process., Conclusions: The recommendations of these consensus guidelines attempt to optimize the health care and management of patients with MS in Argentina., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest RA, AAP, EAB, MEB, MB, EC, MCC, ND, MIG, OG, DG, MJH, JPH, MJ, EK, RL, JM, PGN, RP, MLS, VS, DS, AT, SAV, AV, CV has nothing to disclose. EC has received reimbursement for developing educational presentations, educational and research grants, consultation fees and travel stipends from Biogen, Genzyme, Merck, Novartis. AGB has received reimbursement for developing educational presentations, educational and research grants, consultation fees and travel stipends from Biogen, Genzyme, Novartis, Teva, Gador, Raffo, Biosidus, Synthon – Bagó and Roche. SB has received reimbursement for research grants and travel stipends from Merck, Biogen and Genzyme. FC received fees for consultancy and Advisory Board membership and fees for travel, academic conferences and research projects from Novartis, Merck-Serono, Teva, Genzyme and Biogen Idec. ECC has received reimbursement for developing educational presentations, educational and research grants, consultation fees and travel stipends from Biogen, Genzyme. NFL has received consulting fees from Biogen, Novartis and Genzyme as a lecturer from Merck Serono, Novartis and Biogen, and collaboration for attendance to national and international congresses from Biogen, Novartis, Merck Serono, Bayer and Gador. GGL has received reimbursement for developing educational presentations, consultations fees, clinical trials fees and travel stipends from Biogen, Genzyme, Merck, Novartis, Teva, Tuteur. ADM has received reimbursement for research grants, and travel stipends from Bagó, Raffo and Biosidus. LP has received reimbursement for developing educational presentations, educational and research grants, consultations fees and travel stipends from Biogen, Genzyme, Merck, Novartis. JIR has received reimbursement for developing educational presentations, educational and research grants, consultations fees and travel stipends from Biogen, Genzyme, Merck, Novartis. RRE has received reimbursement for developing educational presentations, educational and research grants, consultations fees and travel stipends from Schering Argentina, Bayer Schering Pharma, Bayer, Serono Argentina and Merck. VS has received reimbursement for developing educational presentations, educational and research grants, consultations fees and travel stipends from Bayer, Biogen, Genzyme, Merck, Novartis, Roche, Biosidus, Gador and Raffo. MCY has received reimbursement for developing educational presentations and travel/accommodations stipends from Merck-Serono Argentina, Biogen-Idec Argentina, Genzyme Argentina, Bayer Inc., Novartis Argentina and TEVA-Tuteur Argentina. JC has received reimbursement for developing educational presentations, educational and research grants, consultations fees and travel stipends from Biogen, Genzyme, Merck, Novartis, and Roche., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction: To assess clinical and/or imaging features useful to distinguish between Susac syndrome (SuS) and primary angiitis of central nervous system (PACNS)., Methods: Multicenter retrospective analysis of two cohorts of Argentine patients diagnosed with SuS and PACNS., Results: 13 patients diagnosed with SuS (6 women and 7 men, mean age 35 ± 10 years) and 15 with PACNS (10 women and 5 men, mean age 44 ± 18 years) were analyzed. Cognitive impairment (11 out of 13 patients vs. 5 out of 15, p = .006), ataxia (7 out of 13 vs. 2 out of 15, p = .042) and auditory disturbances (7 out of 13 vs. 0 out of 15, p = .003) were more frequent in SuS patients; whereas seizures were more frequent in PACNS patients (8 out of 15 vs. 1 out of 13, p = .035). On MRI, corpus callosum (CC) involvement was observed more often in SuS, with abnormalities in CC genu, in 13 out of 13 SuS patients vs. only 2 out of 15 PACNS patients (p < .001); in CC body these were present in 13 out of 13 SuS patients vs. 1 out of 15 PACNS patients, (p < .001); and in CC splenium in 12 out of 13 Sus patients vs. 1 of 15 PACNS, p < .001). Cortical lesions were more frequent in PACNS patients (10 out of 15 vs. 3 out of 13 SuS patients, p = .02), as were hemorrhages (5 out of 15 vs. 0 out of 13 SuS, p = .04) and multiple basal ganglia infarcts (7 out of 15 vs. 1 out of 13 Sus, p = .037)., Conclusion: Specific clinical and/or MRI findings may help distinguish SuS from PACNS with potential therapeutic implications., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

One of the biggest challenges in multiple sclerosis (MS) is the definition of treatment response/failure in order to optimize treatment decisions in affected patients. The objective of this consensus was to review how disease activity should be assessed and to propose recommendations on the identification of treatment failure in RRMS patients in Argentina., Methods: A panel of experts in neurology from Argentina, dedicated to the diagnosis and care of MS patients, gathered both virtually and in person during 2016 and 2017 to carry out a consensus recommendation on the identification of treatment failure in RRMS patients. To achieve consensus, the methodology of "formal consensus-RAND/UCLA method" was used., Results: Recommendations were established based on published evidence and the expert opinion. Recommendations focused on disease management, disease activity markers and treatment failure identification were determined. Main consensus were: ≥2 relapses during the first year of treatment and/or ≥3 new or enlarged T2 or T1 GAD+ lesions and/or sustained increase of ≥2 points in EDSS or ≥100% in T25FW defines treatment failure in RRMS patients., Conclusions: The recommendations of this consensus guidelines attempts to optimize the health care and management of patients with MS in Argentina., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To report the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) on patients' quality of life (QoL) compared to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using the 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) health questionnaire in Argentina., Patients and Methods: Cross-sectional study. All consecutive MS patients, SLE and healthy controls (HC) were included. Demographics, clinical and radiological aspects, EDSS and SF-36 were assessed., Results: A total of 191 subjects were included (MS=74, SLE=30 and HC=87). When we compared, using 2 standard deviations below the normal mean, the SF-36 subscales scores between MS and SLE, we found that MS patients experienced significant deterioration in general health (p<0.0001), vitality (p=0.009), current health (p<0.0001) and previous year health perception (p=0.003). Additional evaluated areas did not show significant differences. MS patients scored significantly lower in all categories compared to HC, except for bodily pain. An inverse correlation between EDSS and SF-36 total (R 2 =0.59, β -11.08, p<0.0001) and subscale scores was observed after applying regression analysis., Conclusion: MS behaves as a systemic disease from the functional point of view. Patient-reported QoL scales scores provide comprehensive additional prognostic information beyond the EDSS score. Therefore, adding the SF-36 questionnaire in clinical practice might be useful for the assessment and follow-up of MS patients., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) is a frequent manifestation of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). However, it can also occur in other immune-mediated diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Positive aquoporin-4 antibodies (AQP4-ab) predict higher relapse rate after LETM., Objective: To assess clinical and brain/spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of LETM immune-mediated at onset and to compare AQP4-ab negative (N-LETM) with AQP4-ab positive (P-LETM) patients., Methods: Thirty LETM patients remitted for consideration of inflammatory CNS diseases were included. Demographics, clinical, serological, disability and neuroimaging features at onset we reviewed retrospectively and divided into two groups according to serological status. AQP4-ab were tested using indirect immunofluorescence., Results: Twenty-one patients were N-LETM. We did not find significant differences between both groups as regards gender, age at onset, dysfunction (motor, sensory, bladder/bowel) or disability. However, recurrences (p=0.04) of myelitis and number of relapses (p=0.03) were associated to P-LETM. N-LETM was associated with normal brain MRI (p=0.04) at onset. AQP4-ab positive were only observed in NMOSD patients. N-LETM (24%) and P-LETM (56%) patients had relapses of optic neuritis (ON) during the follow-up., Conclusion: LETM at onset is a heterogeneous syndrome with similar clinical and neuroimaging features between both groups. N-LETM displayed a lower relapse rate of myelitis and ON., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)