Emerging strategies for treating autoimmune disorders in patients with type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis

Abstract

In the world as a whole and in Ukraine in partmicular, the incidence of autoimmune pathologies continues to grow steadily. There is an increase in the number of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and multiple sclerosis (MS) cases in the population. Both diseases have an autoimmune nature and several common features in terms of onset, diagnosis, lack of effective treatment and deve­lopment of complications that are potentially life-threatening. In addition, both diseases have genetic risk factors associated with human leukocyte antigen. There are also other genetic risk factors, such as T-cell alleles of interleukin-2 and protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 22 in MS and T1DM, respectively. The environment also plays a significant role in the development of both diseases, with smoking and exposure to viruses increasing the risk of MS and T1DM. To date, the proposed methods of therapy for both diseases are not completely effective, and some of them even have serious side effects. The authors consider the possibility of using clemastine fumarate as a histamine H1 antagonist in the management of T1DM and MS. This histamine H1 antagonist penetrates the blood-brain barrier more easily and thus leads to a sedative effect. The efficacy of clemastine fumarate to enhance remyelination in MS was recently demonstrated in a double-blind crossover clinical trial. In addition, this compound was effective in the treatment of T1DM and its complications in a number of experimental studies. The currently available data allow us to recommend clemastine fumarate as the drug of choice in the comprehensive management of patients with MS. Attention is focused on the need for clinical studies to prove the effectiveness of clemastine fumarate in the treatment of patients with T1DM.