The role of age in choosing high-efficacy treatment for multiple sclerosis – an Austrian MS Database study
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Background
Treatment strategy for relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) is increasingly shifting towards first-line use of high-efficacy DMT (H-DMT). However, DMT efficacy declines with increasing age and the benefit of first line H-DMT at higher age remains unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate whether the superiority of H-DMT over moderate-efficacy DMT (M-DMT) depends on age.
Methods
Using the Austrian MS database, we included previously DMT-naïve RMS patients aged ≥18 years, who i) initiated a DMT continuing it for ≥12 months, ii) had MRI at baseline, and iii) had clinical follow-up for ≥24 months. Cox regression analyses including age and DMT strategy (H-DMT vs. M-DMT) plus an interaction effect were employed to predict time to relapse.
Results
A total of 215 RMS patients (median age of 41 years [25 th -75 th percentiles: 32-53], 66% females) were observed over a median of 42 (28-58) months. During this period, eighty-one (38%) patients had a relapse. While increasing age was associated with decreased risk of relapse (hazard ratio (HR) 0.95 per year, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.93-0.98, p<0.001), the use of H-DMT lowered the risk of relapse compared to M-DMT (HR 0.06, 95%-CI: 0.01-0.45, p=0.007). In patients with H-DMT, the benefit of treatment was reduced by increasing age (HR: 1.06, 95%-CI: 1.01-1.11, per year, p=0.031). Superiority of H-DMT over M-DMT was estimated to be lost at the age of approximately 50 years.
Conclusion
The benefit of H-DMT over M-DMT as first-line treatment decreases with increasing age and seems to vanish in patients above approximately 50 years.
What is already known on this topic:
High-efficacy disease-modifying treatments (H-DMTs) are increasingly used as first-line therapy in relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) due to their superior effectiveness in reducing inflammatory disease activity. However, both clinical and radiological disease activity naturally decline with age, and prior meta-analyses suggest that the relative benefit of H-DMT over moderate-efficacy DMTs (M-DMTs) diminishes in older patients. These findings have largely been derived from clinical trials with restricted age ranges and enriched disease activity, limiting their generalizability to real-world, treatment-naïve populations across the full adult age spectrum.
What this study adds:
In a real-world, national cohort of DMT-naïve RMS patients across a wide range of age, this study shows that while H-DMTs significantly reduce the risk of relapse compared to M-DMTs, their superiority is progressively attenuated with advancing age. Notably, the benefit of initiating H-DMTs as first-line therapy becomes statistically indistinguishable from M-DMTs around the age of 50 years. These findings were independent of baseline disease duration and other covariates, emphasizing age as a key modifier of treatment effect.
How this study might affect research, practice or policy
These findings support the integration of age as a critical factor in guiding first-line DMT decisions for RMS. For patients over 50 years, M-DMTs may offer a more appropriate initial treatment option, minimizing exposure to the higher risk profiles of H-DMTs in the absence of clearly superior efficacy. This study underscores the importance of personalized treatment approaches and highlights the need for future clinical trials to include broader age ranges, facilitating evidence-based, age-adjusted treatment strategies in multiple sclerosis.
