Betaferon efficiency indicators in the treatment of relapsing remitting form of multiple sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common, chronic debilitating disease in young adults characterized by a wide variety of neurological symptoms and unpredictable increasing disability. Worldwide, MS affects about 2.5 million people, with a female-to-male ratio of approximately 2:1. The therapies used in the chronic treatment of MS are immune-modulating agents. Interferon beta -1b has been shown to decrease the rate of relapses, the burden of lesions seen on MRI, and the rate of accumulated disability. AIM Determine the efficacy of Betaferon in patients with RR form of MS in terms of the degree of disability and the number of relapses during the two years of continuous treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study, partly retrospective, partly prospective, included 58 patients of both sexes with MS, RR type, from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who received Betaferon treatment, from the Solidarity Fund, during 2 years period. Evaluation of efficacy was based on the degree of disability measured by EDDS scale and number of relapses. RESULTS In our sample, women were represented in the ratio of 3:1 compared to men. 44.8% of patients were referred from Clinical Centre University in Sarajevo (UCCS), 34.5% from University Clinical Centre Tuzla (UCCT) and 20.7% from Clinical Hospital Center Mostar (CHCM). The smallest number of patients have had a relapse sent from CCUS (0.04, SD = 0.196), which was in direct correlation with input EDSS score at baseline (= 1.3) compared to patients from the UCCT, who had an average of 1.05 relapses, SD = 1.35, and the input EDSS score is 2.15. Patients referred from CHCM had an average of 0.08 relapses, SD = 0.93, while the input EDSS score was around 1. In terms of the degree of disability, measured by EDSS, we get a minimal increase in the patients from UCCS and UCCT, while patients from CHCM had a reduction of EDDS for the 0.45 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Betaferon therapy must start as soon as possible, preferably when clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is diagnosed. The reason for early start is to delay the transfer of disease in to definite multiple sclerosis, and thereby reduce disability, which disease brings to young people. Key words: