Publications by authors named "Leguizamon F"
Introduction: Cladribine was approved for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in our country in 2018. A previous study by our group showed that its use among high efficacy therapies options has been increasing along the years.
Objective: to analyze the cladribine use trend across time since its approval.
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.
Background: We assessed the effectiveness, safety and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of dimethyl fumarate (DMF) in real-world clinical practice in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) from Argentina.
Methods: We conducted a multicenter ambispective cohort study in Argentina between September 2020 and March 2023. Changes in annualized relapse rate (ARR), Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), no evidence of disease activity (NEDA), PROs (depression, anxiety, fatigue, burden of treatment and quality of life), and safety data were collected at clinical visits performed every 6 months for at least 24 months.
Article Synopsis
- Immunosuppressive therapies like azathioprine (AZA), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and rituximab (RTX) are used to prevent relapses in NMOSD, but response rates specifically in Argentina were previously unknown.
- A retrospective study analyzed 139 NMOSD patients from the RelevarEM registry, tracking their response to these treatments over a mean follow-up of 41.3 months, revealing that RTX had a significantly lower treatment failure rate compared to AZA and MMF.
- The study found treatment failures were 42.8% for AZA, 40% for MMF, and only 10.3% for RTX, indicating that higher efficacy treatments like RTX
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.
Objective: To estimate rates and time to reach emergence of consciousness from vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS), and explore factors associated with improved recovery in children and adolescents with disorders of consciousness (DoC) following severe traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury.
Methods: Analytical, retrospective, cohort study. Clinical records of consecutively referred patients admitted in VS/UWS to a neurological rehabilitation institute in Argentina, between 2005 and 2021 were reviewed.
Unlabelled: We aimed to assess the treatment strategies utilized in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) experiencing relapses, including their frequency, types, and response after 6 months based on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study involving NMOSD patients from the Argentinean MS and NMOSD registry (RelevarEM, NCT03375177). Treatment response at 6 months was categorized as "good" if the EDSS score decreased by ≥1 point after a nadir EDSS score ≤ 3, or by ≥2 points after a nadir EDSS score > 3, "poor" if the EDSS score decrease was slighter, and as "absent" if the EDSS score remained unchanged or worsened.
Background: Knowledge of the safety and efficacy of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in older patients with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) is limited due to their exclusion from clinical trials. Our purpose is to evaluate the choice of DMTs in pwMS older than 50 years old in a real-world setting.
Methods: Cross-sectional study of pwMS from the Argentine MS and NMOSD Registry.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the occurrence, duration, and severity of area postrema syndrome (APS) in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) across several Latin American countries.
- A total of 116 out of 631 patients (18.3%) experienced APS, with severe symptoms being the most common, and the average symptom duration was about 10 days, often treated effectively with IV steroids.
- The research found that inflammatory activity significantly decreased after APS onset, but no specific factors were linked to the severity of the syndrome.
Background And Objectives: Primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is characterized by gradual neurological deterioration without relapses. This study aimed to investigate the clinical impact of gender and age at disease onset on disease progression and disability accumulation in patients with this disease phenotype.
Methods: Secondary data from the RelevarEM registry, a longitudinal database in Argentina, were analyzed.
We aimed to evaluate mortality and causes of death among Argentinean neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients and identify predictors of death. Retrospective study included 158 NMOSD patients and 11 (7%) patients died after 11 years of follow-up for a total exposure time of 53,345 days with an overall incidence density of 2.06 × 10.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle 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
Article Synopsis
- A study was conducted to evaluate how often new asymptomatic MRI lesions appear in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and if these lesions correlate with later relapses.
- Researchers reviewed 675 MRI scans from 135 NMOSD patients, finding that nearly 20% had new lesions during relapse-free periods, while almost 49% showed new lesions during attacks.
- Despite these findings, new asymptomatic lesions did not predict a faster onset of subsequent relapses, indicating their occurrence may not impact disease progression.
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.
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.
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)).
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.
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.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Identification of triggers that potentially instigate attacks in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) has remained challenging. We aimed to analyze the seasonality of NMOSD and MS attacks in an Argentinean cohort seeking differences between the two disorders.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a cohort of NMOSD and MS patients followed in specialized centers from Argentina and enrolled in RelevarEM, a nationwide, longitudinal, observational, non-mandatory registry of MS/NMOSD patients.
Background: To date, there are no data available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in Latin American patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Objective: Characterize safety of COVID-19 vaccines in Latin American (LATAM) patients with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS).
Methods: A cross-sectional study between February 1, 2021, and April 30, 2021.
Unlabelled: We aimed to examine treatment interventions implemented in patients experiencing neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) attacks (frequency, types, and response).
Methods: Retrospective study. Data on patient demographic, clinical and radiological findings, and administered treatments were collected.
Unlabelled: The objectives of the present study were to describe the frequency of aggressive multiple sclerosis (aMS) as well as to compare clinical and radiological characteristics in aMS and non-aMS patients included in RelevarEM (NCT03375177).
Methods: The eligible study population and cohort selection included adult-onset patients (≥18 years) with definite MS. AMS were defined as those reaching confirmed EDSS ≥ 6 within 5 years from symptom onset.
Background: Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies (MOG-ab) have been described in aquaporin-4-antibodies(AQP4-ab)-negative neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients. We aimed to evaluate the percentage of AQP4-ab-negative NMOSD patients who are positive for MOG-ab in a cohort of Argentinean patients included in RelevarEM (Clinical Trials registry number NCT03375177).
Methods: RelevarEM is a longitudinal, strictly observational multiple sclerosis (MS) and NMOSD registry in Argentina.
Absence of latitudinal gradient in oligoclonal bands prevalence in Argentina.
Mult Scler Relat Disord
November 2020
Background: Like MS prevalence, oligoclonal bands (OCB) frequency seems to follow a latitudinal gradient. Argentina is extensive, latitude-wise, and previous studies have not found an MS prevalence latitudinal gradient. Our aim is to describe OCB prevalence in MS, clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) patients included in the Argentinean MS and NMOSD registry (RelevarEM) and to investigate if it follows a latitudinal gradient.
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