What treatment should be given for multiple sclerosis at the present time?

Objective. This communication aims to describe an approach suitable for the general neurologist or neurologist specialized in treating other disorders, to the current treatment of multiple sclerosis. Development and conclusions. We discuss the treatments for recovery from the symptoms of an acute attack and those which modify the natural course of the illness (reduce the frequency and severity of attacks and/or prevent their progression). The attacks are treated with corticosteroids or ACTH Both treatments have been shown on clinical trials to cause rapid improvement of the acute symptoms of an attack. In the progressive forms, the usefulness of high closes of corticosteroids has not been shown. Nor is there evidence that long term corticosteroid treatment, either daily or monthly, is of use in reducing the number of attacks or progression of the disease, although serious side-effects have been seen. At the moment, the interferons are the most popular treatment for multiple sclerosis. They have been the first drugs to modify the course of the disorder. Finally we describe some of the most generally used treatments and some under investigation, although they ave not widely used since it is still not clear exactly how they affect the course of the disease.