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       #Post#: 773--------------------------------------------------
       (AAN) Pregnancy doesn't prevent MS reactivation after stopping T
       ysabri...
       By: agate Date: May 7, 2015, 2:51 pm
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       Presented at the recent annual AAN conference in Washington, DC:
       [quote][S20.003] Pregnancy does not prevent disease
       re-activation after natalizumab suspension in patients with
       multiple sclerosis
       Maria Amato,1Bahia Hakiki,2Luisa Pastò,2Marta Giannini,2Lorenzo
       Razzolini,2Carla Tortorella,3Mariangela D'Onghia,4Maria
       Trojano,4Eleonora Cocco,5Marta Melis,5Maria Marrosu,6Valeria Di
       Tommaso,7Deborah Farina,7Alessandra Lugaresi,8Pietro
       Annovazzi,8Angelo Ghezzi,9Claudio Gasperini,10Alfonso
       Iudice,9Roberta Fantozzi,9Paolo Bellantonio,11Silvia
       Messina,12Francesco Patti,12Silvia Masera,13Paola
       Cavalla,9Alessandra Protti,6Maria Rossi,14Rocco Totaro,14Laura
       De Giglio,9Carlo Pozzilli,10Emilio Portaccio,2MS Study Group of
       the Italian Neurological Society
       1Firenze, Italy, 2Florence, Italy, 3Nampoli, Italy, 4Bari,
       Italy, 5Cagliari, Italy, 6Milano, Italy, 7Chieti, Italy, 8Milan,
       Italy, 9Italy, 10Rome, Italy, 11Pozzilli, Italy, 12Catania,
       Italy, 13Torino, Italy, 14L'Aquila, Italy.
       Objective:
       To assess multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity during
       pregnancy after natalizumab exposure (NE) and the impact of
       natalizumab exposure (NE) on pregnancy outcomes.
       Background:
       While the risk of disease re-activation after natalizumab
       suspension is widely acknowledged, little is known on disease
       activity during pregnancy occurring after suspension of
       natalizumab in MS patients. In hypothesis, since gestational
       period is related to a reduction [in the] relapse-rate, a
       “protection” from disease re-activation could be expected.
       Design/Methods:
       We recruited NE pregnancies in MS patients prospectively
       followed-up in 13 Italian MS Centres, in the period 2010-2013.
       Exposure to natalizumab was defined as suspension of the drug <
       ten weeks prior to conception. Clinical relapses and pregnancy
       outcomes during pregnancy were compared with data from the
       Italian dataset on interferon-beta exposed (IFNBE) pregnancies
       (Amato et al., 2010). All the patients were administered a
       structured interview which gathered detailed information on
       pregnancy course and outcomes, as well as on possible
       confounders. Group comparisons were assessed through the &#967;2
       test, the analysis of variance and a mixed factorial design,
       when appropriate.
       Results:
       So far 32 pregnancies were recruited. Pregnancies resulted in 25
       live births, six spontaneous abortions and two voluntary
       abortions (one due to Down Syndrome). The occurrence of relapses
       during pregnancy in 9/25 (36%) patients was higher that observed
       in IFNBE patients (10/75, 13.3%; mixed factorial design
       F=2.668,p=0.003). Proportion of spontaneous abortion in NE
       pregnancies (18.8%) was not significantly different from that
       previously observed in IFNBE pregnancies (8%;p=0.106).
       Proportions of pre-term deliveries (20%), mean birth-weight
       (2907gr) and birth-length (49.3cm) were also comparable to those
       of IFNBE pregnancies (p>0.3).
       Conclusions:
       In our study pregnancy did not protect from disease
       re-activation after natalizumab suspension in MS patients. The
       risk of relapses during pregnancy should be taken into account
       in the counselling of natalizumab-treated MS patients
       contemplating pregnancy.
       _________________
       Category - MS and CNS Inflammatory Disease: Clinical Science
       Session: S20: Platform Session: Treatment Mechanisms in Multiple
       Sclerosis (2:00 PM-3:45 PM)
       Date/Time: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 - 2:30 pm
       [/quote]
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