Epidemiological and biochemical aspects of progression in multiple sclerosis

Patients with a progressive form of multiple sclerosis have the worst prognosis. They can expect that their symptoms will steadily worsen, and there is currently no treatment that has a proven effect on progressive multiple sclerosis. The underlying pathophysiology of the progressive forms of multiple sclerosis appears to be distinct from that of the relapsing-remitting form. Research on multiple sclerosis has largely been focussed on the relapsing-remitting form of the disease, while there is relatively little knowledge of the progressive forms of MS. In this thesis, we aimed to investigate epidemiological and biochemical factors associated with progression in MS.