Oligoclonal bands in the cerebrospinal fluid and increased brain atrophy in early stages of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if the presence of oligoclonal bands (OB) at early stages of multiple sclerosis was associated with higher brain atrophy, when compared with patients without OB.


METHODS
Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with less than two years of disease onset and OB detection in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were included. SIENAX was used for total brain volume (TBV), gray matter volume (GMV), and white matter volume (WMV).


RESULTS
Forty patients were included, 29 had positive IgG-OB. No differences were found between positive and negative patients in gender, expanded disability status scale (EDSS), treatment received, and T2/T1 lesion load. TBV in positive IgG-OB patients was 1.5 mm³ x 10(6) compared with 1.64 mm³ x 10(6) in the negative ones (p=0.02). GMV was 0.51 mm³ x 10(6) in positive IgG-OB compared with 0.62 mm³ x 10(6) in negative ones (p=0.002). No differences in WMV (p=0.09) were seen.


CONCLUSIONS
IgG-OB in the CSF was related to neurodegeneration magnetic resonance (MR) markers in early RRMS.
Neurology Department, Hospital Italiano, Buenos Aires, Argentina. juan.rojas@hospitalitaliano.org.ar
Juan Ignacio
JI
Rojas
Liliana
L
Patrucco
Santiago
S
Tizio
Edgardo
E
Cristiano
D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000473:pathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000473:pathology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000473:pathology; D043025:Oligoclonal Bands / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
D015415:Biomarkers; D043025:Oligoclonal Bands