▲ A new blood test has been developed for early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. (Photo = DB)
[메디컬투데이=한지혁 기자] A new blood test has been developed for early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
The results of a new multiple sclerosis test developed at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) were published in the journal JAMA Neurology.
Multiple sclerosis is a type of chronic neurological disease that affects the body’s central nervous system. According to 2020 statistics, approximately 2.8 million people around the world have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
There is currently no cure for multiple sclerosis. Symptoms of early-stage multiple sclerosis are mild. In most cases, symptoms worsen as the disease progresses. Predicting this in advance could help provide therapeutic interventions to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis.
According to experts, the progressive and permanent neurological dysfunction caused by multiple sclerosis is caused by cumulative damage to the connections between numerous nerve cells.
To predict this, researchers developed a new blood test that uses ‘neurofilament light chain (NfL)’ as a biomarker. NfL is a type of protein contained in nerve fibers, and when nerve fibers are damaged, NfL can leak into the blood.
Using digital immunoassay techniques to measure proteins at very low concentrations, NfL can be used as a biomarker for early detection of nerve fiber damage.
Since patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis with low NfL levels are often asymptomatic, this test can be helpful in early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
The researchers analyzed test data from about 1,900 multiple sclerosis patients and looked at changes in values related to worsening and recurrence.
As a result of the analysis, they found that elevated blood NfL levels increased the odds of experiencing a recurrence or worsening of symptoms by 91% within about a year from the test. Additionally, an increase in NfL levels was associated with a 49% increase in the risk of worsening symptoms after about 2 years.
The researchers said, “Contrary to the conventional wisdom that exacerbations and relapses in multiple sclerosis are acute events that occur over several days, this study suggests that overall neurological damage occurred long before clinical worsening occurred.” These results are It was claimed that it could lead to a paradigm shift regarding multiple sclerosis.
[ⓒ 메디컬투데이. 무단전재-재배포 금지]
2023-11-12 23:07:09
#researchers #develop #blood #test #predict #worsening #multiple #sclerosis
