[Open trial of the effectiveness of interferon beta 1a (Avonex) in the treatment of multiple sclerosis in Poland: MRI results].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effect of interferon-beta 1A (IFNb 1A, Avonex) treatment on magnetic resonance (MR) image in patients with remitting-relapsing multiple sclerosis (RR MS) who participated in the Polish Avonex trial.


METHODS
RR MS patients (N = 126) participated in a two-year randomized open trial of Avonex treatment administered in the dose of 30 mcg once a week. MRI was performed twice in each case: shortly before the patient's enrollment in the study and within a month from the study completion. Changes in T2-weighted lesion volume and T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced lesion volume, as well as the number of new T2-weighted and T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced lesions were measured.


RESULTS
Over the two-year treatment period the mean volume of T2-weighted lesions decreased by 3.9% (p = 0.83) while that of T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced lesions decreased by 79% (p = 0.084%) as compared to the baseline MRI evaluation. The mean number of enhanced lesions after two years of Avonex therapy was reduced by 46.1% (p = 0.0035). The total number of enhanced lesions decreased by 49.8% (p = 0.0078). Both the number of new T2-weighted lesions, 3.7 per patient, and that of new T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced lesions, 0.7 per patient, were comparable with the results obtained in other Avonex trials.


CONCLUSIONS
The results confirmed that interferon beta-1a (Avonex) has a significant effect in MS patients, slowing down the progress of their disease. This effect is particularly visible in T1-weighted contrast-enhanced images, indicating an impact of the treatment particularly on the inflammatory stage of the demyelination process.
Siger-Zajdel
Małgorzata
M
Klinika Neurologii Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Łodzi.
Lewańska
Magdalena
M
Zaleski
Krzysztof
K
Członkowska
Anna
A
Kwieciński
Hubert
H
Losy
Jacek
J
Podemski
Ryszard
R
Stelmasiak
Zbigniew
Z
Selmaj
Krzysztof
K
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D011044:Poland; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D016899:Interferon-beta; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a