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Updated: Sep 30, 2025

A Method of Trigonometric Modelling of Seasonal Variation Demonstrated with Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Data
Published on: December 9, 2015
Influence of Previous Disease-Modifying Drug Exposure on T-Lymphocyte Dynamic in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
Doriana Landi1, Alfonso Grimaldi1, Francesca Bovis1
1From the Multiple Sclerosis Research and Clinical Unit (D.L., A.G., G.C., C.G.N., G.M., G.A.M.); Department of Systems Medicine (D.L., G.C., C.G.N., G.M., D.C., G.A.M.), Tor Vergata University, Rome; Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL) (F. Bovis, M.P.), University of Genoa; Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation (R.F., F. Buttari, D.C., G.A.M.), IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli; Multiple Sclerosis Center (E.S., G.L.), Second Division of Neurology, Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples; Multiple Sclerosis Center (M.L., M.M.), Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" IRCCS, Rome; Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore (M.L., M.M.), CERSM, Rome; Department of Neuroscience (M.C., M.I.), Rehabilitation, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa; and IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino (M.I.), Genoa, Italy.
Background And Objectives:
To investigate the longitudinal dynamic of lymphocyte subsets during treatment with ocrelizumab (OCR) in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).
Methods:
A multicenter retrospective study was conducted in 161 PwMS starting treatment with OCR grouped in naive (naive, n = 40), switching from fingolimod (FTY, n = 52), and switching from other immunomodulating drugs (other, n = 69). Mean lymphocyte subset (total, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD20+, and natural killer) counts were analyzed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Rate of lymphocytopenia for each subset was calculated at all time points in all groups.
Results:
Mean total, CD3+, and CD4+ counts were significantly different among groups (p < 0.001) at all time points, whereas CD8+ and CD20+ counts only at baseline (p = 0.0157; p < 0.001), consistently lower in FTY. After adjustment for baseline values, interaction time*group was not statistically significant (p > 0.05 for each subset). The odds of lymphopenia were significantly higher among FTY patients compared with naive for total, CD3+, CD4+, and CD20+ cells at baseline, for total and CD4+ cells at the sixth month, and for total cells at the 12th month.
Discussion:
OCR per se exerts a modest depleting effect on T cells that seems rather due to a carryover phenomenon of previous therapies, particularly FTY. These data may help in the overall evaluation of the risk/benefit profile of treatment sequencing.
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