“It’s the end of the world as we know it.” — R.E.M. Welcome to the world of COVID-19. Coronaviruses aren’t new: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) are both coronaviruses. But this uninvited guest, COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, has…
Covid-19
When I received my multiple sclerosis diagnosis, I was told that my immune system is a little weaker than most people’s and I am more susceptible to getting sick. But I didn’t realize how easy it would be to catch a cold until I did. No matter what…
I don’t watch or listen to the news, but luckily, fellow Multiple Sclerosis News Today columnist Ed Tobias does. I’ve found that avoiding the news has helped to improve my mental health, because I realized that all the doom and gloom happening…
Columns
What New Hell Is This?
There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned bacteriological pincer attack to take your mind off impending death. I’m not exaggerating about the impending bit. A friend/colleague was supposed to fly to Rome today for a holiday but Italy has just closed. As I write this, it was only yesterday that the…
Second Phase 3 Trial of MedDay’s MD1003 for Progressive MS Fails to Meet Goals This is disappointing news about what scientists had hoped would be another oral disease-modifying therapy for multiple sclerosis. It’s doubly disappointing because MD1003 is aimed at progressive forms of MS and demyelination, and we need…
People with multiple sclerosis have unique concerns about the new coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease that it causes. Many of us use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) that suppress our immune systems and give us an extra element to worry about when we plan our defense against this virus. To help us…
Columns
MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Coronavirus FAQs, Diet, Ozanimod Study, High-dose Vitamin D
FAQs About Coronavirus and MS As the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease spreads around the world, people with multiple sclerosis are asking questions specifically related to our illness and our medications. These FAQs answer many of those questions. The recent outbreak of a novel…
What is COVID-19? COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019, officially designated SARS-CoV-2 (for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), is a strain of the virus first identified in Wuhan, capital of the Hubei Province in China, in December 2019. COVID-19 is a new strain of the virus, one not previously…
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the myelin sheath, the protective covering of nerve fibers. This disrupts the conduction of electrical impulses between the brain and the body, causing symptoms that range from muscle spasms and spasticity to fatigue and pain.