Evaluation of antithymocyte globulin in acute relapses of multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The findings in this study indicate that therapy with a combination of ACTH and antithymocyte globulin (ATG) should be strongly considered for patients with multiple sclerosis who are in acute relapse, who have an elevation in the ratio of gamma globulin to total protein in cerebrospinal fluid, and who are not responsive to ACTH or corticosteroid alone. Twenty-one patients with acute bouts of multiple sclerosis were randomly allocated and treated under controlled conditions with ACTH alone or ACTH and ATG. While patients in both groups improved significantly for four months after treatment, the patients remaining in the ACTH/ATG group are significantly better than the ACTH group for seven of the first eight posttreatment months.