title: Betaferon efficiency indicators in the treatment of relapsing remitting form of multiple sclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common, chronic debilitating disease in young adults characterized by a wide variety of neurological symptoms and unpredictable increasing disability. Worldwide, MS affects about 2.5 million people, with a female-to-male ratio of approximately 2:1. The therapies used in the chronic treatment of MS are immune-modulating agents. Interferon beta -1b has been shown to decrease the rate of relapses, the burden of lesions seen on MRI, and the rate of accumulated disability.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Determine the efficacy of Betaferon in patients with RR form of MS in terms of the degree of disability and the number of relapses during the two years of continuous treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study, partly retrospective, partly prospective, included 58 patients of both sexes with MS, RR type, from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who received Betaferon treatment, from the Solidarity Fund, during 2 years period. Evaluation of efficacy was based on the degree of disability measured by EDDS scale and number of relapses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our sample, women were represented in the ratio of 3:1 compared to men. 44.8% of patients were referred from Clinical Centre University in Sarajevo (UCCS), 34.5% from University Clinical Centre Tuzla (UCCT) and 20.7% from Clinical Hospital Center Mostar (CHCM). The smallest number of patients have had a relapse sent from CCUS (0.04, SD = 0.196), which was in direct correlation with input EDSS score at baseline (= 1.3) compared to patients from the UCCT, who had an average of 1.05 relapses, SD = 1.35, and the input EDSS score is 2.15. Patients referred from CHCM had an average of 0.08 relapses, SD = 0.93, while the input EDSS score was around 1. In terms of the degree of disability, measured by EDSS, we get a minimal increase in the patients from UCCS and UCCT, while patients from CHCM had a reduction of EDDS for the 0.45 (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Betaferon therapy must start as soon as possible, preferably when clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is diagnosed. The reason for early start is to delay the transfer of disease in to definite multiple sclerosis, and thereby reduce disability, which disease brings to young people. Key words:
authors.affiliation: Neurology Clinic, Clinical Centre University Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. neurofiziatrija@bih.net.ba
authors.forename: Enra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Suljic
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sinanovic
authors.forename: Azra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurtovic-Alajbegovic
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Klupka-Saric
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D000068576:Interferon beta-1b; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000068576:Interferon beta-1b; D016899:Interferon-beta