13th Post-ECTRIMS Meeting: review of the new developments presented at the 2020 ECTRIMS Congress (I)

For more than a decade, following the ECTRIMS Congress, the Post-ECTRIMS Meeting has been held in Spain, where neurologists with expertise in multiple sclerosis (MS) from all over the country meet to review the most relevant latest developments presented at the ECTRIMS congress (on this occasion held together with ACTRIMS).

This article, published in two parts, summarises the presentations that took place at the Post-ECTRIMS Meeting, held online on 16 and 17 October 2020.

This first part includes the latest results regarding the impact of the environment and lifestyle on risk of MS and its clinical course, and the role of epigenetics and genetic factors on these processes. Findings from preclinical and clinical research on the lymphocyte subtypes identified and the involvement of lymphoid follicles and meningeal involvement in the disease are discussed. Changes in brain structure are addressed at the microscopic and macroscopic levels, including results from high-resolution imaging techniques. The latest advances on biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of MS, and on the involvement of the microbiome in these patients are also reported. Finally, results from patient registries on the impact of COVID-19 in MS patients are outlined.

There have been new data on MS risk factors, the impact of MS at the cellular and structural level, the role of the microbiome in the disease, biomarkers, and the relationship between COVID-19 and MS.