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Clinical and demographic characteristics of primary progressive multiple sclerosis in Argentina: Argentinean registry cohort study (RelevarEM)

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A Correction to this article was published on 24 September 2021

A Correction to this article was published on 12 September 2020

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Abstract

Background

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is an infrequent clinical form of multiple sclerosis (MS). Scarce information is available about PPMS in Latin America. The aim of this work is to describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of PPMS patients in Argentina.

Material and methods

RelevarEM is a longitudinal, strictly observational registry in Argentina. Clinical and epidemiological data from PPMS patients were described.

Results

There were 144 cases of PPMS. They represented 7% of MS patients. The mean age was 44.1 years. The female:male ratio was 1.08. The mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was 5.5 and the mean disease evolution time was 10.6 years. Oligoclonal bands were found in 72.9%. At the time of diagnosis, magnetic resonance imaging showed spinal cord lesions in 82.6% and contrast-enhancing brain lesions in 18.1% of patients. Almost one third of patients were treated with a disease-modifying drug, and ocrelizumab was the most frequently used (55.8%).

Conclusions

PPMS is an infrequent subtype of MS and its recognition is of the highest importance as it has its own evolution, treatment, and prognosis. The importance of our research resides in providing local data and contributing to a better understanding of PPMS and its treatment in Latin America.

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Funding

Unrestrictive research grants from Biogen Argentina, Genzyme Argentina, Merck Argentina, Novartis Argentina, and Roche Argentina allowed the development and implementation of the Registry.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Universitario de Esclerosis Múltiple, Hospital Dr. J. M. Ramos Mejía, Facultad de Medicina—UBA, Urquiza 609, C1221ADC, Buenos Aires City, Argentina

    Ricardo Alonso, Bárbara Eizaguirre, Leila Cohen, Berenice Silva, Cecilia Pita & Orlando Garcea

  2. Sanatorio Güemes, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Ricardo Alonso, Luciana Lázaro & Nora Fernández Liguori

  3. Sinapsis, Centro Neurológico, La Pampa, Argentina

    Ricardo Alonso, Cecilia Quarracino, Bárbara Eizaguirre, Leila Cohen, Berenice Silva, Cecilia Pita, Juan Ignacio Rojas, Agustín Pappolla, Jimena Miguez, Liliana Patrucco, Edgardo Cristiano, Carlos Vrech, Gabriel Volman, Emanuel Silva, Andres Barboza, Norma Deri, Verónica Tkachuk, Gisela Zanga, Dario Tavolini, María Laura Saladino, Geraldine Luetic, María Laura Menichini, Edgar Carnero Contentti, Pablo López, Judith Steinberg, Pablo Divi, Javier Hryb, Amelia Alves Pinheiro, Adriana Carra, María Eugenia Balbuena, Luciana Lázaro, Nora Fernández Liguori & Orlando Garcea

  4. Departamento de Neurología, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Cecilia Quarracino

  5. Centro de Esclerosis Múltiple de Buenos Aires, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Juan Ignacio Rojas, Agustín Pappolla, Jimena Miguez, Liliana Patrucco & Edgardo Cristiano

  6. Departamento de Enfermedades Desmielinizantes, Sanatorio Allende, Córdoba, Argentina

    Carlos Vrech

  7. Departamento de Neurología, Hospital Presidente Perón de Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Gabriel Volman

  8. Predigma Centro de Medicina Preventiva, Posadas, Misiones, Argentina

    Emanuel Silva

  9. Departamento de Neurología, Hospital Central de Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina

    Andres Barboza

  10. Centro de Investigaciones Diabaid, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Norma Deri

  11. Sección de Neuroinmunología y Enfermedades Desmielinizantes, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Verónica Tkachuk & María Eugenia Balbuena

  12. Departamento de Neurología, UA Cesar Milstein, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Gisela Zanga

  13. INECO Neurociencias Oroño - Fundación INECO, Rosario, Argentina

    Dario Tavolini

  14. Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Provincial del Centenario, Rosario, Argentina

    Dario Tavolini

  15. INEBA, Instituto neurociencias Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María Laura Saladino

  16. Instituto de Neurociencias de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina

    Geraldine Luetic & María Laura Menichini

  17. Department of Neuroscience - Neuroimmunology Unit, Hospital Alemán, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Edgar Carnero Contentti, Pablo López & Adriana Carra

  18. Multiple Sclerosis Section, Hospital Británico, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Judith Steinberg

  19. RIAPEM (Red Integral Asistencial al Paciente con Esclerosis Múltiple), Santiago del Estero, Argentina

    Pablo Divi

  20. Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Cárlos G. Durand, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Javier Hryb

  21. Hospital San Martín, Paraná, Entre Ríos, Argentina

    Amelia Alves Pinheiro

  22. Departamento de Nuerología, Fundación Favaloro/INECO, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Adriana Carra

Authors
  1. Ricardo Alonso
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  2. Cecilia Quarracino
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  3. Bárbara Eizaguirre
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  4. Leila Cohen
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  5. Berenice Silva
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  6. Cecilia Pita
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  7. Juan Ignacio Rojas
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  9. Jimena Miguez
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  10. Liliana Patrucco
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  11. Edgardo Cristiano
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  12. Carlos Vrech
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  13. Gabriel Volman
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  14. Emanuel Silva
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  15. Andres Barboza
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  16. Norma Deri
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  17. Verónica Tkachuk
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  18. Gisela Zanga
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  19. Dario Tavolini
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  20. María Laura Saladino
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  21. Geraldine Luetic
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  22. María Laura Menichini
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  23. Edgar Carnero Contentti
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  24. Pablo López
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  25. Judith Steinberg
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  26. Pablo Divi
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  27. Javier Hryb
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  28. Amelia Alves Pinheiro
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  29. Adriana Carra
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  30. María Eugenia Balbuena
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  31. Luciana Lázaro
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  32. Nora Fernández Liguori
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  33. Orlando Garcea
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Consortia

on behalf of RelevarEM investigators

Contributions

Ricardo Alonso and Orlando Garcea contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Ricardo Alonso, Cecilia Quarracino, Barbara Eizaguirre, and Leila Cohen. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Ricardo Alonso and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ricardo Alonso.

Ethics declarations

The project was approved by the Ethics Committee of every principal investigator involved in the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Research involving human participants and/or animals

None

Informed consent

None

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None

Disclaimer

Those grants did not interfere in the development plan, variables, PI selection, patient information nor other aspects of the Registry.

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The original online version of this article was revised: The above article was published with inverted given and family names. This has been correctly presented above.

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Alonso, R., Quarracino, C., Eizaguirre, B. et al. Clinical and demographic characteristics of primary progressive multiple sclerosis in Argentina: Argentinean registry cohort study (RelevarEM). Neurol Sci 41, 3329–3335 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04680-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04680-3

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