CLEVELAND, Posted 3:19 p.m. April 21, 1999 -- Researchers in Cleveland have discovered that a drug prescribed for patients with Multiple Sclerosis has an unexpected benefit.

NewsChannel5 reports one of the consequences of MS is brain tissue loss, or brain shrinkage. But Cleveland Clinic Researchers have discovered that a drug currently prescribed for MS patients reduces the rate of brain atrophy.

"We found that patients with Multiple Sclerosis had a continuing loss of brain tissue, even though they were in the early [stages] of the disease," Dr. Richard Rudick of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation tells WEWS. "But those patients on Avonex had significantly lower amount of brain tissue loss -- 55 percent less in the second year of their treatment."

According to researchers, it is believed brain tissue loss in MS patients is associated with many of the physical disabilities of MS that may not show up for years.

Doctors believe earlier, proactive treatment with the drug may help prevent irreversible changes.

Symptoms Of MS Include:

• Fatigue
• Muscle weakness
• Temporary blindness
• Memory loss