February 27, 2024 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Black MS patients in US score poorly on walking, physical ability tests Black people with multiple sclerosis (MS) scored lower on tests of walking and physical function than did white patients, regardless of social determinants of health such as education or income, a U.S. study reported. These findings add to a growing understanding of how MS manifests in Black people, and…
October 25, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Review: Racial Disparities Impact Black, Hispanic MS Patients in US Black and Hispanic/Latinx people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. tend to have more severe disease, but less access to specialty care, greater diagnostic delays, and poorer outcomes, a review found. Moreover, Blacks are at higher risk than whites of both developing MS and dying from it. These…
August 23, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Variant in STK11 Gene Tied to Greater MS Risk for Black People in US A variation in a gene called STK11, previously shown to increase the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) among Caucasians, is now also linked to a greater likelihood of MS in Black people. In fact, the variation was significantly more common in Black MS patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS),…
April 22, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – More Diversity Needed Among Neurologists, Presenters Agree Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17–22. Go here to read the latest stories from the conference. There is a lack of diversity among neurologists, who are disproportionately white men, but new programs aimed at inclusivity may…
April 21, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #AANAM – Disease Severity, Job Loss Higher in Black Than White Patients in US Editor’s note: The Multiple Sclerosis News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17–22. Go here to read the latest stories from the conference. African Americans with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are more likely than white patients — despite comparable disease durations and…
March 23, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cognitive Impairment in Early MS Not Linked to Ethnicity, US Study Suggests Ethnicity does not seem to have an influence on the degree of cognitive impairment seen in patients at the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), a U.S.-based study suggests. The study, “Race, ethnicity, and cognition in persons newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,” was published in the…
March 22, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Ethnic Study of East Londoners with MS Highlights Role of Environment in Disease Onset According to new research published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, environmental factors appear to play a much greater role in the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) than previously recognized. The study, “Ethnicity and prevalence of multiple sclerosis in east London,” was led by scientists at…
