Which statement correctly describes disease-modifying therapies for relapsing-remitting MS and management of acute relapses?

Which statement correctly describes disease-modifying therapies for relapsing-remitting MS and management of acute relapses?

• A. Antibiotics are used for relapse treatment
• B. Only steroids are used as disease-modifying therapy
• C. Radiation therapy is standard for relapses
• D. Interferon-beta or glatiramer acetate are first-line disease-modifying therapies; acute relapses are treated with high-dose IV methylprednisolone

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that managing relapsing-remitting MS involves two parallel goals: using disease-modifying therapies to reduce long-term disease activity and promptly treating acute relapses to hasten recovery. Interferon-beta and glatiramer acetate are common first-line disease-modifying therapies because they modulate the immune response and slow relapse frequency and lesion accumulation with a manageable safety profile. For an acute relapse, high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone is used to quickly suppress inflammation and shorten the episode's duration of symptoms. Steroids help with recovery but don’t permanently change the underlying disease course. Antibiotics aren’t used to treat relapses, radiation therapy isn’t a standard relapse treatment, and disease-modifying therapy is not limited to steroids—steroids are for acute relapses, while DMTs aim to modify the disease itself over time.

The main idea is that managing relapsing-remitting MS involves two parallel goals: using disease-modifying therapies to reduce long-term disease activity and promptly treating acute relapses to hasten recovery. Interferon-beta and glatiramer acetate are common first-line disease-modifying therapies because they modulate the immune response and slow relapse frequency and lesion accumulation with a manageable safety profile. For an acute relapse, high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone is used to quickly suppress inflammation and shorten the episode's duration of symptoms. Steroids help with recovery but don’t permanently change the underlying disease course. Antibiotics aren’t used to treat relapses, radiation therapy isn’t a standard relapse treatment, and disease-modifying therapy is not limited to steroids—steroids are for acute relapses, while DMTs aim to modify the disease itself over time.