Systemic disease and neuro-ophthalmology: annual update 2000 (Part I).

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (1–86), with substantial long-term neurologic consequences (1,4,9,25,34, 52,54,55,57,60,63,65). After 10 years with MS, 50% of patients are unable to perform household and occupational responsibilities; after 15 to 20 years, 50% are unable to walk without assistance; after 25 years, 50% are unable to ambulate. The average annual cost of MS in the United States is greater than 6.8 billion dollars (1). There are three main subtypes of the disease: relapsing remitting (RR), secondary progressive (SP), and primary progressive (PP). This update reviews the current status of MS therapy (1–86). We have chosen to focus on the new and emerging immunomodulatory therapies for disease relapses and the treatments to prevent disease progression. We do not review the treatments for common MS-related sensory and motor symptoms, fatigue, or depression (35).