Antibody profiling for the prognosis and diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in patients, compared with healthy subjects

Abstract

Background: Multiple sclerosis is considered as an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that is the main cause of disability in young adults around the world. The purpose of this study was to determine changes in antibodies in the prognosis of multiple sclerosis, and the use of antibody against aquaporin 4 for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Materials and Methods: In this case - control study, 21 patients with a definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and 21 healthy subjects were selected as the study population. Blood and urine samples were collected, and nephelometry technique was used to assess the presence or absence of IgG, IgM and IgA in serum and urine samples. ELISA method for measuring of antibodies against aquaporin 4 was used. Results: There was no major difference in the mean of the total IgM in the case and control groups , but the mean IgA and IgG levels in the control group were evidently higher than in the case group. It was releaved that IgA, RBC and Hb mean differences between the two groups are statistically significant. Parallel with an increase in IgG, the probability of disease exacerbation was increased by 0.22, whereas with increasing ages, the probability of disease exacerbation was 15.0. There was also a positive and significant relationship between the average level of antibodies, IgG and IgM with the degree of illness However, the relationship between the mean serum IgA level and the degree of illness was inverse. It also became clear that antibodies against AQP-4 in serum and urine of patients with different degrees of illness showed no significant difference. The difference between the mean of antibodies against AQP in the serum of patients with mild and moderate MS was 54.1, but in mild and severe MS it was 53.3. Conclusion: The findings of this research suggest that serum antibody levels are directly related to the disease levels and can be used as a prognostic factor. Accordingly, it appears that the use of antibodies against aquaporin-4 in serum and urine for the diagnosis of this disease can be considered as a reliable approach.