This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Abstract
To determine which patients are prone to side effects from interferon beta-1b and which side effects are most troublesome, we studied 72 patients with clinically definite MS who were started on interferon beta-1b after its release and found that the side effects significantly associated with treatment included skin reactions, flu-like symptoms, fatigue, leukopenia, new or worsened depression, and new or worsened headache. Of these, only fatigue and depression were significantly associated with discontinuance of therapy. Moreover, the course of disease before initiation of treatment also had a significant impact on the likelihood of discontinuing medication. Thus, despite an apparently similar therapeutic benefit (as judged by the similarly reduced attack rate in each group), patients with a secondary chronic progressive course were more likely to discontinue treatment (63%) than patients with either a relapsing/progressive course (18%) or a remitting/relapsing course (7%). Indeed, in the final regression equation, the only factors significantly related (r equals 0.875) to the discontinuance of therapy were fatigue (p less than 0.0001), a fatigue-depression interaction (p less than 0.0001), and a chronic progressive course of disease (p less than 0.0001). Thus, if future clinical trials are to provide useful information on the value of interferon beta-1b in progressive MS, the side effects of fatigue and depression will need to be ameliorated to limit the drop-out rate from such trials.
- Copyright 1996 by the Advanstar Communication Inc.
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Costs and Utilization of New-to-Market Neurologic Medications
Dr. Robert J. Fox and Dr. Mandy Leonard