#010: The disease-modifying therapy (DMT) to prevent MS progression

The evaluation of many studies worldwide has shown that the disease-modifying therapy (DMT) is the best tool against the progression of MS.

You can read through the whole article on my blog: https://ms-perspektive.com/010-dmt

This time we are talking about the disease-modifying therapy (DMT), which according to most experts is one of the most important pillars in the treatment of people with multiple sclerosis. And I absolutely agree with this opinion.

In the best case, the disease-modifying therapy (DMT) prevents the inflammatory activity completely or slows it down at least strongly. Especially for the relapsing-remitting course of MS there are now a variety of therapies from mild to highly effective, depending on which intensity level is needed.

Table of Contents

• Introduction into DMT
• Understanding Multiple Sclerosis
• The Role of Disease-Modifying Therapy (DMT)
• Types of Disease-Modifying Therapies (DMTs)
• Effectiveness and Progression Prevention
• Considerations for DMT Selection
• Future Directions in DMT Research

Introduction into DMT

Currently, you can't really repair existing damage. The body can partially rebuild destroyed myelin at a young age, but not to the same quality as it originally existed. And the ability to remyelinate diminishes over time. In addition, at a young age remyelination and a higher inflammatory activity are opposed to each other. As a result, partially fresh remyelinated areas are immediately attacked and destroyed if the inflammation at the site has not yet come to a standstill but continues to smolder.

There are also initial therapies for the progressive forms of MS that can slow the progression. Here, the key disease process is neurodegeneration, i.e. the death of nerve cells, which unfortunately is not yet as well understood and treatable as the acute inflammatory activity. Researchers are working intensively on the subject. Other drugs are in phase 3 studies or are being investigated in earlier stages of development.

In an upcoming episode, I will share key advice and findings from research summarized in "Brain Health. Time matters in multiple sclerosis."

This report was compiled by an international team of experts and is based on the analysis of a large number of studies on multiple sclerosis.

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I hope this gave you an overview about what a disease-modifying therapy is, what advantages it offers in the long-run, what needs to be considered when choosing the right one for you and how future developments will increase our quality of life even more.

See you soon and try to make the best out of your life,
Nele

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