A thin layer of retina in the eyes may reveal disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a recent study says. The study reportedly encompassed 164 MS patients yielding from the Johns Hopkins MS Center, including individuals (59) who had no disease activity.
The participants underwent eye scans designed to measure the thinning of a portion of their retinas every 6 months for an average of 21 months. The study reports that the participants were also given MRI brain scans at its start and yearly.
The results indicate that individuals with MS relapses exhibited 42% faster thinning than individuals with no MS relapses. Researchers add that participants with MS who exhibited gadolinium-enhancing lesions experienced 54% faster thinning and those with new T2 lesions had 36% faster thinning than MS patients without these features of MRI activity.
Researchers also note that participants whose level of disability worsened exhibited 37% more thinning than those who had no changes in their level of disability, and participants who had the disease less than 5 years showed 43% faster thinning than those who had the disease more than 5 years.
Source: American Academy of Neurology (AAN)
