Blinded and Seeing the Light, (John Noseworthy, Lou Gehrig and Other Tales of Enlightenment)

ABSTRACT

Patients having serious neurological diseases often wonder why clinical trials must use controls and double blinding in order to prove efficacy. Studies on the effect of examiner blinding in multiple sclerosis trials, as well as the published results of an unblinded uncontrolled clinical trial of Vitamin E therapy in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (including Lou Gehrig) provide clear illustrations of the impact of blinding and controls on outcome. These reports serve as a resource for physicians, patients and their families in discussing the rationale for controls and double blinding, and instill caution that should be used when judging results of studies which are unblinded or uncontrolled.

Keywords

clinical trials - double blinding - Noseworthy - multiple sclerosis - Lou Gehrig - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis