Tau predicted early disability and worse prognosis in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients independently of age, a longitudinal prospective study showed.
MS patients with higher cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau levels at diagnosis developed higher MS Severity Scores (MSSS) and Age-Related MS Severity Scores (ARMSS) over 4 years than those with lower tau levels, reported Eleonora Virgilio, MD, of University of Piemonte Orientale in Italy, at MSVirtual 2020, the joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS meeting. No significant relationship was seen for beta amyloid.
Neurodegeneration occurs early in MS, Virgilio noted. “Neurofilament light chain has been investigated as an axonal damage biomarker in MS, but it is not routinely used in clinical practice,” she said. “On the other hand, CSF tau and beta amyloid proteins are currently used in other neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s disease.”
“Although CSF levels of tau protein have not been directly compared with neurofilament in individuals with MS, this study suggests CSF tau as an alternative prognostic marker that predicts the development of higher disability in newly diagnosed patients,” noted Benjamin Segal, MD, of The Ohio State University in Columbus, who wasn’t involved with the research.
“The relationship was highly significant and it was independent of age,” Segal told MedPage Today. “The investigators also found a trend of higher tau level and brain MRI lesion burden and spinal cord lesion. If these data are reproduced in larger studies, these data indicate that CSF tau might complement neurofilament in predicting the future clinical course.”
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