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Natural History of Multiple Sclerosis

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Neuroimmunology

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Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a heterogeneous immune-mediated disease that involves demyelination with inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS), as well as a neurodegenerative component. The natural history of the disease has changed favorably over time with the advent of efficacious disease modifying therapies (DMTs) that prevent or limit inflammatory disease activity. In this chapter, we discuss the various phenotypes of MS and their individual characteristics. Next, we discuss important imaging and clinical prognostic factors in MS that may help predict the natural history of an individual patient’s disease. We then review the impact of the advent of the DMT era on the natural history of MS. Comorbidities and health behaviors as they influence MS and its natural history are then discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Laura E. Baldassari

  2. Neuroimmunology Division, Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    M. Mateo Paz Soldán

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  1. Laura E. Baldassari
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  2. M. Mateo Paz Soldán
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Correspondence to M. Mateo Paz Soldán .

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  1. University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Amanda L. Piquet

  2. University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Enrique Alvarez

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Baldassari, L.E., Paz Soldán, M.M. (2021). Natural History of Multiple Sclerosis. In: Piquet, A.L., Alvarez, E. (eds) Neuroimmunology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61883-4_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61883-4_7

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