Recovery from an MS relapse can take up to approximately 1 year, and the severity of the relapse is associated with recovery time, according to results published in Multiple Sclerosis Journal. Gary Cutter, PhD, and colleagues examined the time of relapse recovery for patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), as well as factors associated with the speed and success of recovery, among 1,008 patients in the CombiRx clinical trial. In their assessment of 240 relapses, the study team found the median time to relapse recovery was 111 days. Most recovery events took place within 1 year of relapse onset; 202 patients (84%) recovered during study follow-up. In that group of 202 patients, 161 (80%) recovered within 180 days, and 189 (94%) recovered within 365 days. “Relapse severity, but no other patient factors, was associated with the speed of relapse recovery,” Dr. Cutter and colleagues wrote. “Our findings inform clinical practice and trial design in RRMS.”
