Recommendations for diagnosis and management of multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating neurologic disorder that mainly affects young individuals (aged 20 to 50 years). Approximately 85% of patients experience an initial course with relapses and remissions (relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis). Guidelines for the management of MS should be focused on three main areas: (a) the diagnosis of MS; (b) treatment of relapses; and (c) long-term preventive treatment including clinical follow up, dose adjustment, drug switch, control of therapeutic efficacy, and disease progression. Diagnosis should be established according to clinical and paraclinical criteria. Discussion on therapeutic recommendations is focused on the disease-modifying agents in acute phases and drugs for long-term treatment and symptomatic treatment. Differential diagnoses must be taken into account on making the diagnosis of MS. Therefore, diagnosis of MS should be established on clinical and radiological diagnostic criteria, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and evoked potentials.
University Department of Neurology, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia. vanjakes@net.hr
Vanja Basić
VB
Kes
Iris
I
Zavoreo
Vesna
V
Serić
Vesna Vargek
VV
Solter
Marijan
M
Cesarik
Sanja
S
Hajnsek
Marija Bosnjak
MB
Pasić
Tereza
T
Gabelić
Basić
B
Silvio
Silva Soldo
SS
Butković
Ivo
I
Lusić
Lidija Dezmalj
LD
Grbelja
Ante
A
Vladić
Ivan
I
Bielen
Igor
I
Antoncić
Vida
V
Demarin
D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*