Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37536925›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry2024

Early postpartum treatment strategies and early postpartum relapses in women with active multiple sclerosis.

Sabrina Haben, Andrea I Ciplea, Marianne Tokic, Nina Timmesfeld, Sandra Thiel, Ralf Gold, Annette Magdalene Langer-Gould, Kerstin Hellwig

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
4.8field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Controversies in neuroimmunology: Multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating disordersBiomedica : revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud · 2026
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Sabrina HabenDepartment of Neurology, Katholisches Klinikum Bochum, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Andrea I CipleaDepartment of Neurology, Katholisches Klinikum Bochum, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Marianne TokicMedical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Nina TimmesfeldMedical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Sandra ThielDepartment of Neurology, Katholisches Klinikum Bochum, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Ralf GoldDepartment of Neurology, Katholisches Klinikum Bochum, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Annette Magdalene Langer-GouldResearch & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California, USA.
Kerstin HellwigDepartment of Neurology, Katholisches Klinikum Bochum, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany Kerstin.Hellwig@ruhr-uni-bochum.de.ORCID 0000-0003-4467-9011
Katholisches Klinikum Bochum · DERuhr University Bochum · DEKaiser Permanente · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRelapse risk after delivery is increased in women with active multiple sclerosis (MS), the best strategy to reduce it is unknown. We aimed to assess the association of four different postpartum strategies with relapses during the first 6 months post partum.

methodsThis cohort study includes data prospectively collected through structured telephone interviews from the German Multiple Sclerosis and Pregnancy Registry. Pregnancies with active MS (fingolimod or natalizumab treatment OR relapse within 1 year before pregnancy) and postpartum follow-up of ≥6 months were included. We compared four strategies: (1) intention to breastfeed exclusively without disease-modifying therapy (DMT) (exclusive breast feeding ≥2 months or switching to non-exclusive/weaning within 2 weeks after a relapse during the first 2 months), (2) early treatment with natalizumab/fingolimod and (3) other DMT initiated within 6 weeks post partum before a relapse. If women did not or only partially breastfed, or started DMT≤6 weeks after delivery after a relapse or later, we assumed (4) no-DMT-no-exclusive- breastfeeding-strategy. Main outcome was time to postpartum MS relapses.

resultsIn 867 women with 911 pregnancies, most (n=416) intended to breastfeed exclusively or had no-DMT-no-exclusive-breastfeeding-strategy (n=290); fewer started fingolimod (n=38), natalizumab (n=74) or another DMT (n=93) early. Recurrent time-to-event analysis showed a statistically significant reduction in relapse hazard only with the natalizumab/fingolimod-strategy as of months 3-4 post partum compared with intention-to-breastfeed-exclusively-strategy. The very early relapse risk was highest in no-DMT-no-exclusive-breastfeeding-strategy.

conclusionIn active MS, an early postpartum treatment strategy should be determined well before delivery. Natalizumab/fingolimod-strategy reduced postpartum relapse hazard from month 3, but none diminished the early postpartum relapse hazard.

Indexed as

Multiple SclerosisMultiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-RemittingCohort StudiesFemaleFingolimod HydrochlorideHumansImmunosuppressive AgentsNatalizumabPostpartum PeriodPregnancyRecurrenceFingolimod HydrochlorideImmunosuppressive AgentsNatalizumabmultiple sclerosis

Identifiers

PMID37536925
PMCPMC10850706
OpenAlexW4385542071

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.