MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: B- and T-cells, Tysabri, Sexual Silence
How B-cells Work to Promote T-cell Attacks on Myelin That Lead to MS Detailed in Study
I keep a close eye on reports about B-cells and T-cells because they’re the targets of Lemtrada, which is my current disease-modifying therapy. (The DMT Ocrevus targets B-cells alone). So, this research, which offers confirmation that B- and T-cells interact to attack myelin, should be encouraging news for everyone with MS; and particularly encouraging for those of us who hope that Lemtrada or Ocrevus will stop their MS dead in its tracks.
B-cells in the immune system play an important role in the unfolding of inflammation and brain lesions in multiple sclerosis, largely by how they influence the actions of another immune system cell, called T-cells, a new study reports.
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Its findings help explain why therapies like Ocrevus and off-label use of rituximab, both of which act on B-cells, are effective in controlling MS.
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Tysabri Seen to Improve Cognition in RRMS Patients Over 2 Years in Retrospective Study
Before I started my Lemtrada treatment I was treated with Tysabri for several years. I had no relapses while on Tysabri and I think it slowed my progression, but I don’t feel that it significantly improved my cognitive abilities. Regardless, this is a study that will interest people who are treated with Tysabri. (Note: The study was funded by Biogen, Tysabri’s manufacturer.)
Tysabri (natalizumab) was reported in a small retrospective study to significantly improve cognitive abilities in people with relapsing-remitting MS patients (RRMS) over two years of use.
The study, “Improvement in Cognitive Function as Measured by NeuroTrax in Patients with Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Treated with Natalizumab: A 2-Year Retrospective Analysis,” was published in the journal CNS Drugs.
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Sexual Problems Common Among MS Patients But Often Ignored, Study Reports
Many of us with MS have sexual problems but few of us talk about them, at least not outside of some private MS social media groups. This study confirms that there’s a sexual silence between MS patients and their physicians. The study may increase the knowledge of the medical professionals who treat us but it certainly doesn’t tell us anything we patients don’t already know.
Sexual problems are a frequent but unreported symptom of MS that affects other symptoms patients experience with this disease, including depression, a study reports.
The study, “Factors associated with sexual dysfunction in individuals with multiple sclerosis,” was published in the International Journal of MS Care.
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