Intrathecal, Not Systemic Inflammation Is Correlated With Multiple Sclerosis Severity, Especially in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Objective: To test the hypothesis that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients have increased peripheral inflammation compared to healthy donors and that this systemic activation of the immune system, reflected by acute phase reactants (APRs) measured in the blood, contributes to intrathecal inflammation, which in turn contributes to the development of disability in MS. Methods: Eight serum APRs measured in a prospectively-collected cross-sectional...