The following course is based on a talk presented at the Serono Symposia International Foundation event The changing face of MS: Understanding populations, treating individuals which took place in Berlin, Germany, on February 23-24, 2008.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

One of the main issues that multiple sclerosis specialists have to face in their daily practice is the management of progressive forms of the disease. The drugs most widely used in this indication are less effective than in less severe forms, but also diagnostic criteria is poorly defined and the pathologic mechanisms not completely clear. Moreover, outcomes of trials available in progressive forms leave many unanswered questions due to the variable response to treatment of clinical and the MRI parameters considered.

In this online course Prof. Sastre Garriga addresses all the debated aspects of progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. He reviews both the consolidated pathological models and the most recent findings in the blood brain barrier leak and B cell involvement in the inflammatory processes. The course exhaustively addresses the topic of diagnostic criteria and offers interesting suggestions for clinical practice. The last part of the course is focused on treatment and provides a review of outcomes of the major trials. This is data every specialist has to know to personalize and tune the management of the disease.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this course the learner will have an updated knowledge on:

• Past and present models of pathological mechanisms underlying the central nervous system damages in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis;
• Pros and cons as well as the reliability of different diagnostic criteria proposed in these conditions;
• Efficacy of immunomodifying  drugs in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis.