The authors aim to understand how lymphocyte populations could predict the course of multiple sclerosis (MS) in people treated with interferon-β (IFN-β). Twenty-five male patients and 72 female patients were analyzed in the study. Peripheral blood samples were taken before and 5 years after the treatment with IFN-β. Lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. The authors compared lymphocyte parameters between confirmed sustained progression (CSP) and non-CSP groups by using Welch's one-way analysis of means or a chi-square test of independence. A penalized (lasso) logistic regression model was fitted to identify the combination of lymphocyte parameters for potential biomarkers. The combination of lymphocyte counts, relative CD3+/CD25+ cells, absolute CD8 T cells, absolute CD8+/CD38+ cells, absolute CD38+ cells, and relative CD5+/CD19+ cells was identified as potential biomarker for the IFN-β treatment to monitor MS development in relation to CSP. The results suggest that other biomarkers aid in patient observation, predict a favorable outcome, and assist in the decision-making process for the early therapy escalation.
Keywords: biomarkers; interferon-β; lymphocytes; multiple sclerosis.