Objective: To evaluate the effect of prolonged courses of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO2T) on the progressive deterioration of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Design: Prospective study of the disability of 703 MS patients first treated five or more years previ- ously. Setting: The MS National Therapy Centres in the UK and Ireland. Results: Of the 117 patients who had attended regularly and without interruption for 5 to 15 years, the Kurtzke value (KDS) had not increased by more than 1 point. One hundred and four of 1384 patients (11%) first treated 17 or more years previously were still attending for regular treatment. About 300 treatments in 10+ years (about once a fortnight) were required to appreciably retard the progression of disability of Relapsing/Remitting patients, while more than 500 treatments (say, once a week) were more effective. Conclusions: The response to treatment is better in patients with less advanced disease and is related to the frequency and continuity of treatment. Treatment should therefore be started as soon as the condition is diagnosed and before irreversible lesions have become established.
Perrins, D & James, P. (2021). Long-term hyperbaric oxygenation retards progression in multiple sclerosis patients.