Plasma Exchange in the Management of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Preliminary Observations

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Abstract
Since humoral factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and previous attempts at therapeutic intervention have not met with uniform success, plasma exchange (PE) was proposed for the management of this disease. The possible effectiveness of PE in the treatment of MS was studied in 6 patients. At least 4 patients who did not respond to conventional therapy showed unequivocal, moderate to marked improvement following the 1st session of PE. At the time of treatment these patients had an acute exacerbation of their disease. No correlation was found between clinical improvement and the serum immune complex levels, suggesting that other poorly known mechanisms were operative. PE may be efficacious in treating exacerbations of MS. More evidence is needed on the effects of PE in the chronic stage of the disease.