Multiple sclerosis and depression: influence of interferon beta therapy.

Background And Objectives: Depression is frequently part of the clinical picture of multiple sclerosis (MS). Major depression affects one in two patients with MS during the course of their lifetime. Our objectives were to determine first, whether interferon beta-1a (IFNbeta-1a) treatment increases the risk or level of depression and, secondly, whether depression status and depression evolution are related to the clinical characteristics of the disease.

Multiple sclerosis, interferon beta and clinical thyroid dysfunction.

The objective of this study was to investigate frequency and presentation of clinical thyroid dysfunction in patients treated with interferon beta (IFN-beta). We have collected the cases of clinical thyroid dysfunction in 700 consecutive patients receiving IFN-beta for multiple sclerosis (MS). Five patients (four women, one man) treated with IFN-beta1b developed hyperthyroidism.

Quality of life in multiple sclerosis: influence of interferon-beta1 a (Avonex) treatment.

Background: Numerous data argue for initiating treatment with interferon-beta (IFN-beta) at an early stage in multiple sderosis (MS). The consequences of its use may negatively influence the MS patient's quality of life (QoL).

Objective: To evaluate the QoL of MS patients before and after a one-year period of treatment with IFN-beta1a (Avonex).

[Hereditary parkinsonism-dystonia syndrome of juvenile onset with diurnal fluctuations].

Symptoms of fluctuating dystonia developed in 4 subjects of the same family during childhood or adolescence. In the 2 sisters, these symptoms were initially or subsequently associated with signs of parkinsonism, whereas in the 2 brothers they disappeared, spontaneously in at least 1 case, and signs of parkinsonism appeared later after a free interval. Anticholinergic agents and L-Dopa proved very effective against all extrapyramidal signs.