The researchers found an advantage for night treatment over daily treatment in multiple sclerosis attacks
In the photo: Professor Ariel Miller
The Technion researchers found that adjusting drug treatment to the biological clock has many advantages. The researchers, led by Professor Ariel Miller, director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Carmel Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion, demonstrated a significant functional improvement among multiple sclerosis patients recovering from an attack of their disease following the application of the principles of chronotherapy: treatment adjusted to the biological clock. The results of their research are reported in the online issue of the prestigious journal, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry Journal of Neurology.
"It is known that the immune system works according to a biological rhythm and clock," explains Professor Miller. "So, for example, cortisone levels in the body are high in the morning and low at night. This issue has significance in diseases resulting from abnormal immune activity: autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, arthritis and multiple sclerosis."
The researchers assumed that adjusting the treatment to the biological clock of the immune system would improve the effectiveness and safety of the drug treatment. In the study, the effect of intravenous steroid treatment given in an attack of multiple sclerosis was examined, given daily (between the hours of 10:00-14:00) compared to nightly administration (between the hours (22:00-02:00). The findings of the study revealed that the rate of recovery and improvement of neurological function were better after night treatment, compared to day treatment. It was also found that the side effects were reduced and the patients reported their preference for night treatment.
So far, the reference to the preferred time for taking the medication has focused mainly in the context of the effect of the presence of certain types of food in the digestive system and the need to take the medication before or after eating, this is because the absorption of certain medications is inhibited by certain types of food on the one hand, and the fact that certain medications may damage the stomach if not taken In close proximity to the meal, on the other hand.
As for intravenous steroid treatment in an attack of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases, until today it was common to give the treatment at any time, usually at a convenient time for the medical or nursing staff, without taking into account the biological changes that occur in humans during the day.
The present study highlights the importance of the application of the principles of chronotherapy, drug treatment adjusted to the biological clock, regarding the use of steroids for an acute attack in multiple sclerosis, and has implications regarding steroid treatment in autoimmune and other diseases.
In the photo: Professor Ariel Miller
