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Hi everyone:

Does anyone have any information on progressive-relapsing MS? Specifically typical initial symptoms and MRI results? I read somewhere that it attacks the neurons rather than the myeline. Any additional information would be helpful.

Thanks!

my understanding is that each subtype of MS attacks the same thing--myelin, just with varying time frames and possibly different patterns of findings on MRI. neurons get damaged after repeated attacks or increasing damage of surrounding neurons leading to axonal loss and scarring. but that happens with all the subtypes and is not unique to PRMS. hadn't put much effort into researching this subtype though, since it is very rare and doesn't really seem to fit my pattern of symptoms. although if you ask me, relapsing-remitting is a bit of a misnomer since the disease is always active even during "remitting" periods and is by definition a progressive disease (so decline is happening all the time).

nairb86 wrote:Hi everyone:

Does anyone have any information on progressive-relapsing MS? Specifically typical initial symptoms and MRI results? I read somewhere that it attacks the neurons rather than the myeline. Any additional information would be helpful.

Thanks!

PRMS is defined by clinical symptoms (gradual progression with superimposed relapses). For instance, a person with PRMS could have slowly progressive insidious gait deterioration but have a discrete episode of optic neuritis. PRMS is not thought to be pathologically different from RRMS or SPMS. Often, the transition between RRMS and SPMS is indistinct and may be defined by fewer and fewer clinical relapses with increasing progressive symptoms.

MRI findings in PRMS can be different from SPMS in that PRMS patients may make new T2 lesions or even new enhancing lesions which are less common in SPMS.

Grey matter/cortical changes are now thought to be important in all forms of MS, especially progressive forms of MS.

-c