Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis or SPMS is diagnosed when there is a steady progression of neurological damage with or without relapses, remissions and plateaus after a period of Relapsing/Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). Physical disability tends to advance much more quickly with SPMS than with RRMS, and a majority of people with RRMS will eventually develop SPMS, although the period between the two diagnoses can be as long as 25 to 30 years. There a variety of treatment protocols in place for managing the progression and the symptoms associated with SPMS.
Interferon
According to an article in the American Academy of Neurology's website, the FDA approved an interferon treatment known as Betaseron in 2004 for use in secondary progressive MS. Betaseron appears to both reduce the number of new lesions or abnormal areas of the brain tissue seen on an MRI, while reducing the intensity and frequency of symptom attacks. Betaseron treatments are administered by injection several times weekly.
Chemotherapy
Mitoxantrone, a chemotherapy, is used to slow down the autoimmune process that leads to the destruction and loss of myelin, the material that coats and protects the body's nerves. The chemotherapy drug Mitoxantrone is FDA-approved for the treatment of SPMS. Administered intravenously every three months for a period of two to three years, it has been shown to reduce the relapse rate in MS, according to a neurologist interviewed in an article written for behindthemedicalheadlines.com. Because the drug also carries rare but dangerous risks, its use is restricted to patients with the most aggressive forms of MS.
Corticosteroids
Although corticosteroids are not used to alter the long-term outlook of MS, they are occasionally used for secondary progressive MS because they can hasten a patient's recovery following a relapse. Physicians will prescribe three- to five-day courses of these steroids either intravenously or as an oral medication, according to the website mult-sclerosis.org
