Biological markers of the inflammatory phase of multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The search for biological markers in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been spoiled by the intrinsic nature of the disease that occurs in a secluded organ which cannot be accessed by routine sampling. Thus, markers obtained so far from the peripheral blood of MS individuals are often of little reproducibility while results obtained from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are conveniently linked to the disease process but of little utility due to inaccessibility to repeated sampling. In this review we briefly discuss the biological markers available to date.