Desmopressin in the management of nocturia in patients with multiple sclerosis. A double-blind, crossover trial

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Vasopressin and Desmopressin in the context of multiple sclerosis, published as a clinical trial.

To evaluate a novel approach to the symptomatic management of nocturia in patients with MS, the researchers have conducted a trial of desmopressin acetate (1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin), a synthetic analogue of antidiuretic hormone.

Why It Was Studied

The current management of neurogenic bladder, based on fluid restriction, anticholinergic agents, intermittent self-catheterization, and, in some cases, surgical intervention, often fails to relieve all symptoms.

Nocturia is a particularly disabling symptom of neurogenic bladder; by disrupting sleep patterns, it aggravates the chronic fatigue of MS, imposes serious demands on caregivers, and can lead to institutionalization.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

Seventeen patients were enrolled in a double-blind, crossover trial of desmopressin administered at bedtime.

Patients with both relapsing-remitting and chronic-progressive forms of MS were admitted.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a double-blind and crossover study.

Blinding on both sides kept the participants and researchers unaware of who received Vasopressin.

In the crossover set-up each of the participants took both Vasopressin and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

Night time voiding diaries were maintained for the 6 weeks of the trial; similarly, serum electrolyte levels and plasma osmolality were measured twice weekly and urinalyses and urine cultures were performed weekly during the trial.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Deamino Arginine Vasopressin, Multiple Sclerosis, Renal Agents, Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic and Urination Disorders.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a double-blind and crossover study of Vasopressin and Desmopressin in people with multiple sclerosis.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 7 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 1996 (Archives of neurology), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Vasopressin compound page and the Desmopressin compound page, Multiple sclerosis research.