What's on this Page
What is the role of steroids in Multiple Sclerosis?
A number of studies have suggested superiority of steroids over placebo for alleviating relapses of Multiple Sclerosis.
Symptoms resolve more quickly, although it is not clear if treatment of attacks ultimately prevents disability or mitigates the final outcome of the disease.
There remains much controversy about the most appropriate steroid preparation, dosage, route of administration, and duration of treatment.
A popular therapy employs intravenous methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol) in a dose of 500 to 1000 mg daily for 3 to 7 days.
Sometimes oral prednisone is used, at 60 mg daily for 5 to 7 days.
Sources
- Polman CH, Reingold SC, Banwell B, Clanet M, Cohen JA, Filippi M, et al.: Diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: 2010 revision to the McDonald criteria. Ann Neurol 69(2):292-302, 2011.
- Freedman MS, Thompson EJ, Deisenhammer F, Giovannoni G, Grimsley G, Keir G, et al.: Recommended standard of cerebrospinal fluid analysis in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Arch Neurol 62(6):865-870, 2005.
- Rolak LA, Fleming JO: The differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Neurologist 13(2):57-72, 2007.
- Compston A, Confavreux C: The cause and course of multiple sclerosis. In Compston A (ed): McAlpine’s multiple sclerosis . Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone, pp 69-284, 2006.
- Breij EC, Brink BP, Veerhuis R, van den Berg C, Vloet R, Yan R, et al.: Homogeneity of active demyelinating lesions in established multiple sclerosis. Ann Neurol 63(1):16-25, 2008.
- Popescu BF, Lucchinetti CF: Pathology of demyelinating disease. Ann Rev Pathol 7:185-217, 2012.
