Innovative strategien immunmodulatorischer therapie bei multipler sklerose

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous system frequently leading to disability in young adults. Despite intensive research activity during the last decade etiology and pathogenesis of MS are still uncertain. Because autoimmunity is widely believed to be a major component in the pathogenesis of MS, treatment strategies have largely focused on the immune system involving immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory drugs. Most of these strategies, however, have turned out to be inefficient in MS or even lead to a higher disease activity. The negative results question the autoimmune dogma and raise the possibility that other factors (e.g. infectious agents, neurodegenerative processes) may be involved in disease pathogenesis. Here we review the current treatment strategies on the basis of the different pathogenetic concepts.