Many people with MS ask why they should start treatment immediately, especially if their symptoms are currently in check and they are generally feeling well and in good health.
This is understandable, and under these circumstances it is hardly surprising that many people with MS hesitate to take any medication - after all, treatment is a long-term commitment that needs to be sustained and supported by professional medical support.
However, there is good evidence to support the need for early treatment. For example, medical experts now know that damage to the nerves and brain occurs very early on in the disease process. Since this damage is often ‘silent’, it can take years for symptoms to fully develop, so starting early treatment may minimise the nerve and brain damage and thus delay the progression of the disease.
Medical experts generally agree that it is important to treat MS with DMDs (Disease Modifying Drugs) as soon as the illness has been diagnosed and confirmed, for the following reasons:
- Treatment helps to remove the acute symptoms of the disease, or to achieve remission;
- Treatment can extend the periods of time without disturbances before another possible attack; and
- Effective treatment can bring about a change in the course of the illness, thus slowing the advance of MS, slowing impairment and reducing the frequency and severity of attacks.
The goal of treatment should be to slow irreversible damage to oligodendrocytes and axons, thus slowing the progression of the disease to secondary–progressive MS. Treatment with disease-modifying agents, such as beta interferon-1a, taken at the start of the disease prevents inflammatory processes that may lead to demyelination and axon damage.
