Publications by authors named "Garcea O"

Introduction: There are no reports in LATAM related to longitudinal humoral and cellular response to adenovirus based COVID-19 vaccines in people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) under different disease modifying therapies (DMTs) and neutralization of the Omicron and Wuhan variants of SARS-COV-2.

Methods: IgG anti- SARS-COV-2 spike titer were measured in a cohort of 101 pwMS under fingolimod, dimethyl fumarate, cladribine and antiCD20, as well as 28 healthy controls (HC) were measured 6 weeks after vaccination with 2 dose (Sputnik V or AZD1222) and 3 dose (homologous or heterologous schedule). Neutralizing capacity was against Omicron (BA.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of cladribine (CLAD) for treating relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 240 patients across Argentina, focusing on clinical relapses and disease progression over 24 months.
  • Results showed a significant decrease in annual relapse rates from 1.19 to 0.19, with many patients achieving no evidence of disease activity (NEDA) at both 12 months (84.2%) and 24 months (77%).
  • The study also monitored lymphopenia, finding that grade 1 lymphopenia was the most common, while severe grade 4 lymphopenia was rare, suggesting CLAD is a safe treatment option.
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Introduction: The primary objective of the core data set is to reduce heterogeneity and promote harmonization among data sources in EM, thereby reducing the time needed to execute real life data collection efforts. Recently, a group led by the Multiple Sclerosis Data Alliance has developed a core data set for collecting real-world data on multiple sclerosis (MS) globally. Our objective was to adapt this global data set to the needs of Latin America, so that it can be implemented by the registries already developed and in the process of development in the region.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study assessed the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) receiving high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (HET) in Argentina.
  • The analysis involved 228 adult PwMS who were fully vaccinated with vaccines like AstraZeneca and Sputnik, primarily receiving cladribine as their HET.
  • The results indicated a breakthrough infection rate of 3.5 cases per 10,000 patients per day, with higher risks observed in patients treated with ocrelizumab compared to other therapies.
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Article Synopsis
  • Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) are classified by their effectiveness, with high-efficacy treatments (HETs) having limited data in Latin America, particularly Argentina.
  • A study using the RelevarEM registry found that 19% of 2,450 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) were on HETs, with many switching due to treatment failures, leading to a significant increase in HET usage from 11.65% to 29.55% over two time periods.
  • The research highlighted rapid growth in HET adoption, with the most common treatments being alemtuzumab and cladribine, and emphasized understanding the demographics
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Introduction: The emergence of several therapeutic options in multiple sclerosis (MS), which significantly modify the immune system functioning, has led to the need for the consideration of additional factors, such as risk of infections, in the decision-making process. The aim of these consensus recommendations was to discuss and perform a practical guide to Latin American neurologists on the risk of infections at diagnosis, follow-up and prior to initiation of DMDs.

Methods: A panel of Latin American neurologists, experts in demyelinating diseases and dedicated to management and care of MS patients, gathered during 2021 and 2022 to make consensus recommendations on the risk of infections in PwMS treated with DMDs in Latin America.

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Background: Social support is crucial for persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). We sought to analyze differences in perceived social support in persons with MS vs controls; to study associations between perceived social support, clinical measures, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) variables in persons with MS; and to establish a predictive value of perceived social support for HRQOL.

Methods: We studied 151 persons with MS (mean ± SD: age, 42.

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Background: We aimed to determine the proportion of highly active multiple sclerosis patients under high-efficacy therapies (HETs) achieve no evidence of disease activity-3 (NEDA-3) at 1 and 2 years, and to identify factors associated with failing to meet no evidence of disease activity 3 at 2 years.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study based on Argentina Multiple Sclerosis patient registry (RelevarEM), includes highly active multiple sclerosis patients who received HETs.

Results: In total, 254 (78.

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Background: The use of telemedicine has quickly increased during of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that unmet needs and barriers to multiple sclerosis (MS) care have been reported, telemedicine has become an interesting option to the care of these patients. The objective of these consensus recommendations was to elaborate a guideline for the management of people with MS using telemedicine in order to contribute to an effective and high-quality healthcare.

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Introduction: The discontinuation of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in multiple sclerosis (MS) is commonly seen in real-world settings due to several factors.

Area Cover: The aim of this study is to describe the frequency of disease activity after discontinuation of DMTs in MS patients included in the Argentinean MS and NMOSD registry.

Discusion: Patients with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) and active secondary progressive MS (SPMS) were included based on the following criteria: they discontinued treatment for more than 6 months, they had been treated with a DMT for ≥2 years, and they had at least 6 months of follow-up in the registry after discontinuation.

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Unlabelled: The objective was to evaluate time to reach an EDSS of 4, 6, and 7 in NMOSD and MOGAD patients included in the Argentinean MS and NMOSD registry (RelevarEM, NCT 03,375,177).

Methods: NMOSD patients diagnosed according to 2015 criteria and with MOGAD were identified. Patients with at least 3 years of follow-up and periodic clinical evaluations with EDSS outcomes were included.

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Unlabelled: The objective of the study was to evaluate the incidence of COVID-19 after complete vaccination in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) included in the Argentinean MS and NMOSD registry (RelevarEM, NCT03375177).

Methods: cohort study conducted between May 2021 and December 2021. The primary outcome was the appearance of infection during the follow-up time (at least three months after complete vaccination (second dose)).

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Introduction And Aim: Several factors have been associated with poor adherence to disease-modifying drugs (DMD). The aim of this study is to evaluate the adherence to DMD in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) in Argentina and Ecuador.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed.

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Objective: Escalation (ES) and early high-efficacy (EHE) therapies have been the main treatment strategies adopted in multiple sclerosis (MS) in recent years. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of EHE versus ES strategies in MS patients from Argentina.

Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter cohort study in Argentina.

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Background: There is scarce information regarding the decision-making process (DMP) in people with MS (PwMS) from Latin America.

Objective: To evaluate the DMP in Argentinean PwMS and to assess its relationship with patient preferences, and clinical-demographic characteristics.

Methods: PwMS from the patient organization Esclerosis Múltiple Argentina (n = 1275) were invited to participate in a self-administered web-based survey.

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Background: In multiple sclerosis demographics there is a well-known female prevalence and male patients have been less specifically evaluated in clinical studies, though some clinical differences have been reported between sexes.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess clinical and demographic differences between male and female patients included in the national Argentine MS Registry-RelevarEM.

Material And Methods: This study was observational, retrospective, and was based on the data of 3099 MS patients included as of 04 April 2021.

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Introduction: Peripheral inflammation can exacerbate pre-existing lesions in the Central Nervous System (CNS) in the context of neurodegenerative diseases, including Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Objective: To analyze the clinical effect of COVID-19 infection, as a generator of peripheral inflammation, in a MS patients group.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 400 medical records of MS patients from a referral center was carried out.

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Background PPMS (primary progressive multiple sclerosis) patients represent less than 10% of MS patients in Argentina, men and women were similarly affected and most of them had a severe functional impairment. More rapid progression has been reported in males, but this is not the case in all datasets. The main objective of our study was to determine the time to EDSS (Expanded disability Status Scale) 4, 6 and 7 in PPMS patients.

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The atypical clinical features in multiple sclerosis (MS) have been rarely reported and suggest the possibility of an alternative diagnosis. The aim was to describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of MS patients who debuted with atypical symptoms and to estimate the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) for MS diagnosis. A retrospective analysis of clinical records was performed.

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Objective: Currently, there are several reasons to promote worldwide the concept of multiple sclerosis care units (MSCU) for a better management of affected patients. Ideally, the MSCU should have some human and technical resources that distinguish and improve the care of affected patients; however, local, and regional aspects should be considered when recommending how these units should operate. The objective of these consensus recommendations was to review how MSCU should work in Latin America to improve long-term outcomes in MS patients.

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Introduction: We aimed to analyze the accumulative risk of MRI and OB factors for evolution from RIS to MS in subjects included in the Argentinean MS registry (NCT03375177).

Methods: RIS subjects were identified according to RIS diagnosis criteria. Subjects were longitudinally followed with clinical and MRI at intervals of 6 months.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in uncertain access to medical treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) all over the world. However, there is no data regarding its impact on access to health care of pwMS from Latin America.

Objectives: We investigated and described changes in health care delivery for pwMS from Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Background: The purpose of this study was to assess family planning (FP) among women with multiple sclerosis (WwMS).

Methods: We invited 604 WwMS to answer a survey focused on FP: a) Temporal relationship between pregnancy and the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis; b) History of FP; c) Childbearing desire; d) Information on family planning. Comparisons between pregnancy and not pregnancy after MS, as well as, planned and unplanned pregnancy were analyzed.

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