Clinical Edge Journal Scan

Key clinical point: Individuals with persistent or incident body fatness show an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Main finding: Compared with their persistent no-fatness counterparts, both general fatness (persistent: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.28; 95% CI, 1.23-1.34; incident: aHR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.01-1.20) and central fatness (persistent: aHR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.26-1.40; incident: aHR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.11-1.27) were associated with an increased risk of HCC.

Study details: The data come from a nationwide population-based cohort study including 6,789,472 individuals aged 20 years or older who were not previously diagnosed with HCC and underwent health examinations twice with a gap of 2 years.

Disclosures: The study was sponsored by the Research Supporting Program of The Korean Association for the Study of the Liver and the Korean Liver Foundation. The authors declared no conflict of interests.

Source: Kim MN et al. Int J Cancer. 2021 Dec 26. doi: 10.1002/ijc.33920.

Key clinical point: Individuals with persistent or incident body fatness show an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Main finding: Compared with their persistent no-fatness counterparts, both general fatness (persistent: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.28; 95% CI, 1.23-1.34; incident: aHR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.01-1.20) and central fatness (persistent: aHR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.26-1.40; incident: aHR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.11-1.27) were associated with an increased risk of HCC.

Study details: The data come from a nationwide population-based cohort study including 6,789,472 individuals aged 20 years or older who were not previously diagnosed with HCC and underwent health examinations twice with a gap of 2 years.

Disclosures: The study was sponsored by the Research Supporting Program of The Korean Association for the Study of the Liver and the Korean Liver Foundation. The authors declared no conflict of interests.

Source: Kim MN et al. Int J Cancer. 2021 Dec 26. doi: 10.1002/ijc.33920.

Key clinical point: Individuals with persistent or incident body fatness show an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Main finding: Compared with their persistent no-fatness counterparts, both general fatness (persistent: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.28; 95% CI, 1.23-1.34; incident: aHR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.01-1.20) and central fatness (persistent: aHR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.26-1.40; incident: aHR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.11-1.27) were associated with an increased risk of HCC.

Study details: The data come from a nationwide population-based cohort study including 6,789,472 individuals aged 20 years or older who were not previously diagnosed with HCC and underwent health examinations twice with a gap of 2 years.

Disclosures: The study was sponsored by the Research Supporting Program of The Korean Association for the Study of the Liver and the Korean Liver Foundation. The authors declared no conflict of interests.

Source: Kim MN et al. Int J Cancer. 2021 Dec 26. doi: 10.1002/ijc.33920.

Key clinical point: Patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) show a comparable improvement in recurrence-free survival (RFS) after undergoing surgery or radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Main finding: The median RFS of patients who had undergone surgery was not significantly different from that of patients receiving RFA (3.46 years vs 3.04 years; hazard ratio, 0.92; P = .58).

Study details: Findings are from the phase 3 SURF-trial including 301 patients aged between 20 and 80 years with the largest HCC diameter ≤3 cm and ≤3 HCC nodules who were randomly assigned (1:1) to undergo either surgery (n=150) or RFA (n=151).

Disclosures: The study was sponsored by the Japanese Foundation for Multidisciplinary Treatment of Cancer and the Health and Labor Sciences Research Grant for Clinical Cancer Research. Some of the authors declared receiving lecture fees or research funds from or serving as an advisor for various companies. A few authors reported being on the editorial team/board of Liver Cancer.

Source: Takayama T et al. Liver Cancer. 2021 Dec 29. doi: 10.1159/000521665.

Key clinical point: Patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) show a comparable improvement in recurrence-free survival (RFS) after undergoing surgery or radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Main finding: The median RFS of patients who had undergone surgery was not significantly different from that of patients receiving RFA (3.46 years vs 3.04 years; hazard ratio, 0.92; P = .58).

Study details: Findings are from the phase 3 SURF-trial including 301 patients aged between 20 and 80 years with the largest HCC diameter ≤3 cm and ≤3 HCC nodules who were randomly assigned (1:1) to undergo either surgery (n=150) or RFA (n=151).

Disclosures: The study was sponsored by the Japanese Foundation for Multidisciplinary Treatment of Cancer and the Health and Labor Sciences Research Grant for Clinical Cancer Research. Some of the authors declared receiving lecture fees or research funds from or serving as an advisor for various companies. A few authors reported being on the editorial team/board of Liver Cancer.

Source: Takayama T et al. Liver Cancer. 2021 Dec 29. doi: 10.1159/000521665.

Key clinical point: Patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) show a comparable improvement in recurrence-free survival (RFS) after undergoing surgery or radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

Main finding: The median RFS of patients who had undergone surgery was not significantly different from that of patients receiving RFA (3.46 years vs 3.04 years; hazard ratio, 0.92; P = .58).

Study details: Findings are from the phase 3 SURF-trial including 301 patients aged between 20 and 80 years with the largest HCC diameter ≤3 cm and ≤3 HCC nodules who were randomly assigned (1:1) to undergo either surgery (n=150) or RFA (n=151).

Disclosures: The study was sponsored by the Japanese Foundation for Multidisciplinary Treatment of Cancer and the Health and Labor Sciences Research Grant for Clinical Cancer Research. Some of the authors declared receiving lecture fees or research funds from or serving as an advisor for various companies. A few authors reported being on the editorial team/board of Liver Cancer.

Source: Takayama T et al. Liver Cancer. 2021 Dec 29. doi: 10.1159/000521665.

Key clinical point: The oncological outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent liver transplantation (LT) is strongly affected by the ABO blood group system.

Main finding: Blood group A showed an independent association with increased tumor recurrence risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.574; P = .034) with group A vs non-A recipients having higher 5-year tumor recurrence rates (20.1% vs 13.2%; aHR, 1.66; P = .011) and lower 5-year recurrence-free survival rates (66.8% vs 71.3%; aHR, 1.38; P = .045).

Study details: The data are derived from a multicentric retrospective observational study including 925 adult patients with HCC who underwent LT, of whom 406, 94, 380, and 45 had blood group A, B, O, and AB, respectively.

Disclosures: The authors reported no funding source or conflict of interests.

Source: Kayvan M et al. Transplantation. 2021 Dec 27. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000004004.

Key clinical point: The oncological outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent liver transplantation (LT) is strongly affected by the ABO blood group system.

Main finding: Blood group A showed an independent association with increased tumor recurrence risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.574; P = .034) with group A vs non-A recipients having higher 5-year tumor recurrence rates (20.1% vs 13.2%; aHR, 1.66; P = .011) and lower 5-year recurrence-free survival rates (66.8% vs 71.3%; aHR, 1.38; P = .045).

Study details: The data are derived from a multicentric retrospective observational study including 925 adult patients with HCC who underwent LT, of whom 406, 94, 380, and 45 had blood group A, B, O, and AB, respectively.

Disclosures: The authors reported no funding source or conflict of interests.

Source: Kayvan M et al. Transplantation. 2021 Dec 27. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000004004.

Key clinical point: The oncological outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent liver transplantation (LT) is strongly affected by the ABO blood group system.

Main finding: Blood group A showed an independent association with increased tumor recurrence risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.574; P = .034) with group A vs non-A recipients having higher 5-year tumor recurrence rates (20.1% vs 13.2%; aHR, 1.66; P = .011) and lower 5-year recurrence-free survival rates (66.8% vs 71.3%; aHR, 1.38; P = .045).

Study details: The data are derived from a multicentric retrospective observational study including 925 adult patients with HCC who underwent LT, of whom 406, 94, 380, and 45 had blood group A, B, O, and AB, respectively.

Disclosures: The authors reported no funding source or conflict of interests.

Source: Kayvan M et al. Transplantation. 2021 Dec 27. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000004004.

Key clinical point: Compared with the general population, patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be at a slightly higher risk of developing myocardial infarction (MI) but not stroke.

Major finding: An increased risk for MI was found to be causally associated with MS (odds ratio [OR], 1.03; P = .0243). MS and stroke showed no significant causal association (OR, 1.01; P = .2974).

Study details: This was a 2-sample Mendelian randomization analysis of genetic summary data for MS (14,498 patients and 24,091 healthy controls), MI (43,676 patients and 128,199 healthy controls), and stroke (40,585 patients and 446,696 healthy controls) from large-scale genome-wide association studies.

Disclosures: The study was supported by Cultivation of Guangdong College Students' Scientific and Technological Innovation. The authors declared no conflict of interests.

Source: Peng H et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022 Jan 6. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.103501.

Key clinical point: Compared with the general population, patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be at a slightly higher risk of developing myocardial infarction (MI) but not stroke.

Major finding: An increased risk for MI was found to be causally associated with MS (odds ratio [OR], 1.03; P = .0243). MS and stroke showed no significant causal association (OR, 1.01; P = .2974).

Study details: This was a 2-sample Mendelian randomization analysis of genetic summary data for MS (14,498 patients and 24,091 healthy controls), MI (43,676 patients and 128,199 healthy controls), and stroke (40,585 patients and 446,696 healthy controls) from large-scale genome-wide association studies.

Disclosures: The study was supported by Cultivation of Guangdong College Students' Scientific and Technological Innovation. The authors declared no conflict of interests.

Source: Peng H et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022 Jan 6. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.103501.

Key clinical point: Compared with the general population, patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be at a slightly higher risk of developing myocardial infarction (MI) but not stroke.

Major finding: An increased risk for MI was found to be causally associated with MS (odds ratio [OR], 1.03; P = .0243). MS and stroke showed no significant causal association (OR, 1.01; P = .2974).

Study details: This was a 2-sample Mendelian randomization analysis of genetic summary data for MS (14,498 patients and 24,091 healthy controls), MI (43,676 patients and 128,199 healthy controls), and stroke (40,585 patients and 446,696 healthy controls) from large-scale genome-wide association studies.

Disclosures: The study was supported by Cultivation of Guangdong College Students' Scientific and Technological Innovation. The authors declared no conflict of interests.

Source: Peng H et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022 Jan 6. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.103501.

Key clinical point: Women presenting with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to develop trigeminal neuralgia (TN) relative to men with MS.

Major finding: The estimated pooled TN prevalence in the overall population was 3.4%, with the prevalence being greater among women with MS (3.8%; 95% CI, 0.8%-8.7%) than among men with MS (2.4%; 95% CI, 0.5%-5.4%).

Study details: Findings are from a meta-analysis of 19 studies involving 30,348 patients with MS.

Disclosures: This study reported no funding source or conflict of interests.

Source: Houshi S et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2021 Dec 28. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103472.

Key clinical point: Women presenting with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to develop trigeminal neuralgia (TN) relative to men with MS.

Major finding: The estimated pooled TN prevalence in the overall population was 3.4%, with the prevalence being greater among women with MS (3.8%; 95% CI, 0.8%-8.7%) than among men with MS (2.4%; 95% CI, 0.5%-5.4%).

Study details: Findings are from a meta-analysis of 19 studies involving 30,348 patients with MS.

Disclosures: This study reported no funding source or conflict of interests.

Source: Houshi S et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2021 Dec 28. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103472.

Key clinical point: Women presenting with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to develop trigeminal neuralgia (TN) relative to men with MS.

Major finding: The estimated pooled TN prevalence in the overall population was 3.4%, with the prevalence being greater among women with MS (3.8%; 95% CI, 0.8%-8.7%) than among men with MS (2.4%; 95% CI, 0.5%-5.4%).

Study details: Findings are from a meta-analysis of 19 studies involving 30,348 patients with MS.

Disclosures: This study reported no funding source or conflict of interests.

Source: Houshi S et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2021 Dec 28. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103472.

Key clinical point: Ocrelizumab may be preferred over fingolimod as an exit strategy after natalizumab discontinuation in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Major finding: At 1 year, fewer relapses were observed in patients receiving ocrelizumab vs fingolimod (0.12±0.39 vs 0.41±0.71; P = .035), realizing a 70.7% lower annualized relapse rate. The cumulative probability of relapse was significantly higher with fingolimod vs ocrelizumab (31.5% vs 10.4%; adjusted hazard ratio, 3.4; P = .04).

Study details: The data come from an observational, retrospective study involving 102 patients with RRMS who received either fingolimod (n=54) or ocrelizumab (n=48) after natalizumab cessation.

Disclosures: No source of funding was disclosed. Some of the authors including the lead author reported receiving consultancy fees and travel grants from various pharmaceutical companies.

Source: Bigaut K et al. J Neurol. 2022 Jan 4. doi: 10.1007/s00415-021-10950-7.

Key clinical point: Ocrelizumab may be preferred over fingolimod as an exit strategy after natalizumab discontinuation in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Major finding: At 1 year, fewer relapses were observed in patients receiving ocrelizumab vs fingolimod (0.12±0.39 vs 0.41±0.71; P = .035), realizing a 70.7% lower annualized relapse rate. The cumulative probability of relapse was significantly higher with fingolimod vs ocrelizumab (31.5% vs 10.4%; adjusted hazard ratio, 3.4; P = .04).

Study details: The data come from an observational, retrospective study involving 102 patients with RRMS who received either fingolimod (n=54) or ocrelizumab (n=48) after natalizumab cessation.

Disclosures: No source of funding was disclosed. Some of the authors including the lead author reported receiving consultancy fees and travel grants from various pharmaceutical companies.

Source: Bigaut K et al. J Neurol. 2022 Jan 4. doi: 10.1007/s00415-021-10950-7.

Key clinical point: Ocrelizumab may be preferred over fingolimod as an exit strategy after natalizumab discontinuation in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Major finding: At 1 year, fewer relapses were observed in patients receiving ocrelizumab vs fingolimod (0.12±0.39 vs 0.41±0.71; P = .035), realizing a 70.7% lower annualized relapse rate. The cumulative probability of relapse was significantly higher with fingolimod vs ocrelizumab (31.5% vs 10.4%; adjusted hazard ratio, 3.4; P = .04).

Study details: The data come from an observational, retrospective study involving 102 patients with RRMS who received either fingolimod (n=54) or ocrelizumab (n=48) after natalizumab cessation.

Disclosures: No source of funding was disclosed. Some of the authors including the lead author reported receiving consultancy fees and travel grants from various pharmaceutical companies.

Source: Bigaut K et al. J Neurol. 2022 Jan 4. doi: 10.1007/s00415-021-10950-7.

Key clinical point: Cognitive dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is predictive of a higher risk for conversion from relapse-remitting MS to secondary progressive MS and a higher risk for death.

Major finding: Cognitive dysfunction was linked to a greater risk of converting from relapse-remitting course to progressive disease course (adjusted odds ratio, 2.29; P = .043) and shorter survival (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.07; P = .006).

Study details: This was a retrospective analysis of 408 patients with MS.

Disclosures: No external funding was received for this study. The authors reported no conflict of interests.

Source: Cavaco S et al. Mult Scler. 2021 Dec 30. doi: 10.1177/13524585211066598.

Key clinical point: Cognitive dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is predictive of a higher risk for conversion from relapse-remitting MS to secondary progressive MS and a higher risk for death.

Major finding: Cognitive dysfunction was linked to a greater risk of converting from relapse-remitting course to progressive disease course (adjusted odds ratio, 2.29; P = .043) and shorter survival (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.07; P = .006).

Study details: This was a retrospective analysis of 408 patients with MS.

Disclosures: No external funding was received for this study. The authors reported no conflict of interests.

Source: Cavaco S et al. Mult Scler. 2021 Dec 30. doi: 10.1177/13524585211066598.

Key clinical point: Cognitive dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is predictive of a higher risk for conversion from relapse-remitting MS to secondary progressive MS and a higher risk for death.

Major finding: Cognitive dysfunction was linked to a greater risk of converting from relapse-remitting course to progressive disease course (adjusted odds ratio, 2.29; P = .043) and shorter survival (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.07; P = .006).

Study details: This was a retrospective analysis of 408 patients with MS.

Disclosures: No external funding was received for this study. The authors reported no conflict of interests.

Source: Cavaco S et al. Mult Scler. 2021 Dec 30. doi: 10.1177/13524585211066598.

Key clinical point: Spending more time outdoors in the summer and higher exposure to summer ultraviolet radiation (UVR) markedly reduces the risk of developing pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS).

Major finding: Compared with spending <30 minutes outdoors daily during the most recent summer, greater time spent outdoors was associated with a significantly decreased risk of developing MS (30-60 minutes: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.48; P = .05; 1-2 hours: aOR, 0.19; P < .001). Additionally, the ambient UVR dose also showed a protective effect (aOR, 0.76; P = .01).

Study details: This was a multicenter case-control study involving children with MS (n=332) compared with age- and gender-matched controls (n=534).

Disclosures: This study was funded by the NIH and the National MS Society. Some of the authors declared receiving grants from National MS Society and NIH and/or financial support and consulting/personal fees from various other sources.

Source: Sebastian P et al. Neurology. 2021 Dec 8. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000013045.

Key clinical point: Spending more time outdoors in the summer and higher exposure to summer ultraviolet radiation (UVR) markedly reduces the risk of developing pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS).

Major finding: Compared with spending <30 minutes outdoors daily during the most recent summer, greater time spent outdoors was associated with a significantly decreased risk of developing MS (30-60 minutes: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.48; P = .05; 1-2 hours: aOR, 0.19; P < .001). Additionally, the ambient UVR dose also showed a protective effect (aOR, 0.76; P = .01).

Study details: This was a multicenter case-control study involving children with MS (n=332) compared with age- and gender-matched controls (n=534).

Disclosures: This study was funded by the NIH and the National MS Society. Some of the authors declared receiving grants from National MS Society and NIH and/or financial support and consulting/personal fees from various other sources.

Source: Sebastian P et al. Neurology. 2021 Dec 8. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000013045.

Key clinical point: Spending more time outdoors in the summer and higher exposure to summer ultraviolet radiation (UVR) markedly reduces the risk of developing pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS).

Major finding: Compared with spending <30 minutes outdoors daily during the most recent summer, greater time spent outdoors was associated with a significantly decreased risk of developing MS (30-60 minutes: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.48; P = .05; 1-2 hours: aOR, 0.19; P < .001). Additionally, the ambient UVR dose also showed a protective effect (aOR, 0.76; P = .01).

Study details: This was a multicenter case-control study involving children with MS (n=332) compared with age- and gender-matched controls (n=534).

Disclosures: This study was funded by the NIH and the National MS Society. Some of the authors declared receiving grants from National MS Society and NIH and/or financial support and consulting/personal fees from various other sources.

Source: Sebastian P et al. Neurology. 2021 Dec 8. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000013045.

Key clinical point: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are at an increased risk for cancer than the general population.

Major finding: Compared with the general population, patients with MS were at a significantly higher risk for cancer (hazard ratio [HR], 1.36; 95% CI, 1.29-1.43), particularly prostate cancer (HR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.68-2.58), colorectal and anal cancer (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.16-1.58), and trachea bronchus and lung cancer (HR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.96-2.84).

Study details: This population-based matched-cohort study included 95,474 patients with MS matched with 95,474 individuals from the general population.

Disclosures: This study was sponsored by Merck Healthcare KGaA. Four authors including the lead author reported being employees of the Bordeaux PharmacoEpi, and the remaining authors reported being full-time employees of Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The lead author reported receiving speaker fees from Biogen.

Source: Bosco-Lévy P et al. Eur J Neurol. 2021 Dec 22. doi: 10.1111/ene.15226.

Key clinical point: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are at an increased risk for cancer than the general population.

Major finding: Compared with the general population, patients with MS were at a significantly higher risk for cancer (hazard ratio [HR], 1.36; 95% CI, 1.29-1.43), particularly prostate cancer (HR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.68-2.58), colorectal and anal cancer (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.16-1.58), and trachea bronchus and lung cancer (HR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.96-2.84).

Study details: This population-based matched-cohort study included 95,474 patients with MS matched with 95,474 individuals from the general population.

Disclosures: This study was sponsored by Merck Healthcare KGaA. Four authors including the lead author reported being employees of the Bordeaux PharmacoEpi, and the remaining authors reported being full-time employees of Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The lead author reported receiving speaker fees from Biogen.

Source: Bosco-Lévy P et al. Eur J Neurol. 2021 Dec 22. doi: 10.1111/ene.15226.

Key clinical point: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are at an increased risk for cancer than the general population.

Major finding: Compared with the general population, patients with MS were at a significantly higher risk for cancer (hazard ratio [HR], 1.36; 95% CI, 1.29-1.43), particularly prostate cancer (HR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.68-2.58), colorectal and anal cancer (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.16-1.58), and trachea bronchus and lung cancer (HR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.96-2.84).

Study details: This population-based matched-cohort study included 95,474 patients with MS matched with 95,474 individuals from the general population.

Disclosures: This study was sponsored by Merck Healthcare KGaA. Four authors including the lead author reported being employees of the Bordeaux PharmacoEpi, and the remaining authors reported being full-time employees of Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The lead author reported receiving speaker fees from Biogen.

Source: Bosco-Lévy P et al. Eur J Neurol. 2021 Dec 22. doi: 10.1111/ene.15226.

Key clinical point: Cognitive impairments may be evaluated up to 30 days before and up to 550 days after a relapse, beyond which they revert to prerelapse levels in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Major finding: From 30 days prerelapse to 550 days postrelapse, there was a significant drop in the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) score, with the largest decline occurring at 0-30 days postrelapse (β-coefficient, −4.00; 95% CI, −4.61 to −3.39) compared with the period of remission.

Study details: This nationwide cohort study recorded 31,529 SDMTs from among 3,877 patients with incident RRMS, each having a minimum of 2 SDMT scores recorded.

Disclosures: This study was funded by a postdoctoral fellowship award to KA McKay from the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare (Forte). The authors reported no conflict of interests.

Source: McKay KA et al. Ann Neurol. 2022 Jan 4. doi: 10.1002/ana.26301.

Key clinical point: Cognitive impairments may be evaluated up to 30 days before and up to 550 days after a relapse, beyond which they revert to prerelapse levels in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Major finding: From 30 days prerelapse to 550 days postrelapse, there was a significant drop in the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) score, with the largest decline occurring at 0-30 days postrelapse (β-coefficient, −4.00; 95% CI, −4.61 to −3.39) compared with the period of remission.

Study details: This nationwide cohort study recorded 31,529 SDMTs from among 3,877 patients with incident RRMS, each having a minimum of 2 SDMT scores recorded.

Disclosures: This study was funded by a postdoctoral fellowship award to KA McKay from the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare (Forte). The authors reported no conflict of interests.

Source: McKay KA et al. Ann Neurol. 2022 Jan 4. doi: 10.1002/ana.26301.

Key clinical point: Cognitive impairments may be evaluated up to 30 days before and up to 550 days after a relapse, beyond which they revert to prerelapse levels in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Major finding: From 30 days prerelapse to 550 days postrelapse, there was a significant drop in the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) score, with the largest decline occurring at 0-30 days postrelapse (β-coefficient, −4.00; 95% CI, −4.61 to −3.39) compared with the period of remission.

Study details: This nationwide cohort study recorded 31,529 SDMTs from among 3,877 patients with incident RRMS, each having a minimum of 2 SDMT scores recorded.

Disclosures: This study was funded by a postdoctoral fellowship award to KA McKay from the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare (Forte). The authors reported no conflict of interests.

Source: McKay KA et al. Ann Neurol. 2022 Jan 4. doi: 10.1002/ana.26301.