Multiple sclerosis is defined as an immune-mediated disease that affects the central nervous system, and also is characterized by the presence of immune cells and mediators which contribute to the subsidiary neuroinflammation associated with multiple sclerosis. Throughout the evolution of multiple sclerosis, it has been observed that circulating immune complexes (CICs) have higher values in these patients, especially in the acute phase of the disease. Thus, the aim of the present study was to observe, if in acute attack, relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients still present high values of CICs after treatment with glatiramer and prednisone. We divided 70 patients with multiple sclerosis with high values of CICs into two treatment groups, one treated with glatiramer (Copaxone) (immunomodulatory treatment) and the other with prednisone (corticosteroid treatment). After three months of treatment, we assessed the levels of CICs of the two multiple sclerosis groups and we observed that the patients that followed the immunomodulatory treatment had lower values of CICs than the group that followed the corticosteroid treatment. In addition, another observation established was that the glatiramer treatment group had higher levels of vitamin D in the serum than the prednisone group of multiple sclerosis patients. To conclude, better outcomes, from the point of view of the results obtained from the comparative analysis of the values of CICs and vitamin D, were demonstrated by following immunomodulatory treatment.
Keywords: circulating immune complexes; corticosteroid treatment; immunomodulator treatment; multiple sclerosis; vitamin D.
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