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Basic principles of immunotherapy for neurologic diseases
Reinhard Hohlfeld1, Marinos C Dalakas
1Institute for Clinical Neuroimmunology, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Marchionistrasse 25, D-81377 Munich, Germany.
Immunosuppressive drugs and immunomodulating procedures can improve the quality of life in patients with immune-related neurologic diseases and can even be lifesaving if properly used to avoid deleterious or irreversible adverse effects. For the successful use of these drugs or procedures, the treating physician must be familiar and comfortable with the drugs' mode of action, the accuracy of the diagnosis, the goals and expectations of therapy, and the risk-benefit ratio of the therapy. Improvement must be based on a beneficial change in activities of daily living and not solely on a change in the laboratory test values.
Immunosuppressive drugs and immunomodulating procedures can improve the quality of life in patients with immune-related neurologic diseases and can even be lifesaving if properly used to avoid deleterious or irreversible adverse effects. For the successful use of these drugs or procedures, the treating physician must be familiar and comfortable with the drugs' mode of action, the accuracy of the diagnosis, the goals and expectations of therapy, and the risk-benefit ratio of the therapy. Improvement must be based on a beneficial change in activities of daily living and not solely on a change in the laboratory test values.