Cerebrospinal fluid analysis diVerentiates between relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

Objectives—To find whether CSF analysis may diVerentiate between relapsingremitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Methods—In 17 patients with relapsingremitting and 16 patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, all without current or recent relapses, albumin CSF: peripheral blood ratio, mononuclear cell number, CD4+, CD8+, and B1+ subsets, CD4+:CD8+ ratio, IgG, IgG index, IgM, IgM index, complement components C3 and C4, and C3 and C4 indices, myelin basic protein, neuron specific enolase, S100, and lactate were determined. For each measure the statistical distance measure D was calculated. For computation of a discriminant score variables with a P value<0.15 were included (two sided univariate t test). These were albumin CSF: peripheral blood ratio, mononuclear cell number, IgM, IgM index, C3, C4, neuron specific enolase, S100, and lactate. Simultaneous distributions of the variables were compared between both groups (multivariate t test) and a discriminant score was computed (linear discriminant analysis). Results—The discriminant score allocated all 14 relapsing-remitting patients to the relapsing-remitting group (positive score) and 12 of 13 secondary progressive patients to the secondary progressive group (negative score). One secondary progressive patient was allocated to the relapsing-remitting group. Conclusions—Patients with relapsingremitting or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis diVer in CSF profile and CSF analysis may help to diVerentiate between relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. (J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1997;63:446–451)