The pros and cons of early treatment have recently been debated in a medical journal. An editorial accompanying the debate comes down in favour of early treatment.
The essential arguments for the "Pro" camp include that: most who have MS will develop significant disability over time and that injury to nerve fibres begins early in the course of the disease.
The countering arguments for the "Cons" camp include: that if left untreated, MS often runs a 'favourable' course and that the disease modifying drugs have not been proven to prevent long-term disability.
The NMSS' opinion 'coincides' with the 'Pro' camp.
Dr. Roach, a doctor at Wake Forest University who commented on the two approaches notes the necessity for finding specific evidence that some people do not need treatment...
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Continued
..."Without such evidence for individuals with MS, it will be difficult to know for sure whether it is ever safe to defer treatment," he concludes. "While it would be wonderful if we could avoid treating some patients with MS, until we can distinguish these individuals from the others, it is probably better to offer treatment to all patients except in the setting of a clinical trial."
Source
Many thanks to Bromley for writing and submitting this article.
