INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common primary demyelinating disease affecting the central nervous system. In recent years the development of new drugs that have been shown to modify the natural history of MS have had a substantial impact on the treatment of the disease. AIMS: To harmonise and integrate the evidence available on optimising the treatment of patients with MS. DEVELOPMENT: In order to fulfil our main aim, a group of experts from different Latin American countries drew up a list of statements related to the use of immunomodulatory agents in the different clinical forms of the disease and the strategies that should be considered in cases in which the therapeutic response was suboptimal. Each of the participants used a structured scale to express the extent to which he or she agreed or disagreed, and a consensus was considered to have been reached when acceptance of each of the statements was equal to or higher than 80%. CONCLUSIONS: These recommendations will provide neurologists with the tools needed to make decisions that optimise the treatment of MS patients.
INTRODUCTION:Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common primary demyelinating disease affecting the central nervous system. In recent years the development of new drugs that have been shown to modify the natural history of MS have had a substantial impact on the treatment of the disease. AIMS: To harmonise and integrate the evidence available on optimising the treatment of patients with MS. DEVELOPMENT: In order to fulfil our main aim, a group of experts from different Latin American countries drew up a list of statements related to the use of immunomodulatory agents in the different clinical forms of the disease and the strategies that should be considered in cases in which the therapeutic response was suboptimal. Each of the participants used a structured scale to express the extent to which he or she agreed or disagreed, and a consensus was considered to have been reached when acceptance of each of the statements was equal to or higher than 80%. CONCLUSIONS: These recommendations will provide neurologists with the tools needed to make decisions that optimise the treatment of MSpatients.