November 17, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD COVID-19 not linked to increased MS relapse rate: Meta-analysis COVID-19 doesn’t appear to increase the likelihood of a relapse, where new symptoms suddenly appear or existing ones worsen, for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a meta-analysis of more than a dozen studies. The findings alleviate some of the concerns MS patients may have about developing COVID-19,…
June 30, 2023 Columns by Ed Tobias My COVID-19 antibodies are still in my blood, but does it matter? It’s been almost two and a half years since my first COVID-19 vaccine ā eight months since my most recent booster ā and my COVID-19 antibodies seem to still be doing their thing. I know this because, after having nine test tubes of blood drawn, the lab results…
May 24, 2023 by Anne Rosales Guest Voice: Living with MS in what people think is a post-COVID world Anne Rosales is a mother of three grown children, grandmother, and community volunteer. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in her mid-50s. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University and is a certified aging-in-place specialist. Rosales blogs about midlife health and wellness at…
April 21, 2023 Columns by John Connor Reflections from the front line: Awakening to the new dawn COVID-19 had finally left me. Its only trace was a pair of slimy hands. For a month, I requested a towel in bed to wipe them dry. My wife, Jane, told me my hands were fine; my phoneās screen, however, didnāt agree. As my companion in the hospital…
March 22, 2023 News by Andrea Lobo, PhD Greater MS disability reported in patients with COVID-19 infection Infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 significantly accelerates neurological disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), at least in the first months after infection, a study from Belgium reported. A more severe case of COVID-19, one requiring hospitalization, also significantly associated with a faster worsening of MS…
March 15, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Analyzing MS brain scans could further research into COVID-19 Because people with multiple sclerosis (MS) usually undergo regular MRI scans to image their brains, their data could help researchers learn more the long-term effects of COVID-19 on brain tissue. Thatās the argument by a team of researchers in the paper, āMultiple sclerosis as a…
February 17, 2023 Columns by Ed Tobias After 3 years, COVID-19 finally caught up to me It was bound to happen. Even though it’s been more than three years since COVID-19 reared it head in Wuhan, China, and even though I’ve had five of the COVID-19 vaccine shots recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ā two primary series doses and three…
January 10, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS COVID-19 Could Trigger MS Via ‘Molecular Mimicry,’ Study Shows A protein in the virus that causes COVID-19 is structurally similar to several proteins targeted by the immune system in multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. The results provide a potential mechanism for how COVID-19 could trigger MS-like disease in susceptible individuals, researchers said. The study,Ā “…
October 14, 2022 Columns by John Connor As Ever, I Prevaricate Before Taking On My Focus: Long COVID-19 Ah, after living the majority of the last three years of my life indoors, I do tend to spark conversation with my carers. But if I keep quiet, they’re more than happy to do so, too, as they repetitively deal with the rigmarole of getting me ready every morning. It’s…
October 11, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Passive Health Tracking Can Predict Changes in MS, Study Says Data passively collected by smartphone apps and fitness trackers can be used to accurately predict the risk of depression, severe fatigue, poor sleep quality, and symptom worsening in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) when in-person health visits are suddenly limited. These are the findings of a small study that…
August 15, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19 Vaccines, Robot Training, Bladder Treatment, Tysabri Anti-CD20 Therapies Help Mount T-cell Response to COVID-19 Vaccines Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been concerns that anti-CD20 therapies, such as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), may interfere with the ability of a person with MS to fight a COVID-19 infection. But this report says that even if…
August 12, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Anti-CD20 Therapies Help Mount T-cell Response to COVID-19 Vaccines People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are on therapies that deplete antibody-producing B-cells can mount an effective T-cell immune response to COVID-19 vaccination, a new study shows. The findings suggest that the vaccines strongly activate other parts of the immune system that are helpful in fighting the virus,…
August 5, 2022 Columns by Jamie Hughes Discovering What It Takes to Survive in These Troubled Times Unless youāve been living under a rock or are somehow lucky enough to live on your own desert island, youāve probably noticed that things are kinda difficult these days. I mean, COVID-19 is still a thing, and now we have monkeypox to deal with. Everyone seems to be…
August 5, 2022 Columns by John Connor Pesky Leukocytes Dash My Hopes of Joining a Trial of Mavenclad for MS In December 2019, I was stopped in my tracks, or rather wheels, as I was about to have my third infusion of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapy (DMT) that Iād been taking every six months for the past year. My neurologist had decided just a few…
July 22, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD MS Patients with Social Support Slept Better During Pandemic: Study Greater feelings of social support predicted better sleep quality in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) during the COVID-19 pandemic, a study shows. Specifically, greater help with daily tasks and more leisure activities with others were the types of social support identified, after adjusting for potential influencing factors, as…
July 11, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: COVID-19, Predicting Progression, Early Treatment, Estriol Higher COVID-19 Risk Tied to 2 MS Therapies, Even With Vaccination According to this study, people being treated with Ocrevus had 3.6 times the risk of a breakthrough COVID-19 infection compared with people being treated with most other disease-modifying therapies. For those treated with Gilenya, the risk was increased…
July 7, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Higher COVID-19 Risk Tied to 2 MS Therapies, Even With Vaccination Fully vaccinated multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who are treated with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) or Gilenya (fingolimod) have a significantly higher risk of COVID-19 infection than those given other immunosuppressive therapies, according to a study in Italy. Called breakthrough infections, these post-vaccination cases of SARS-CoV-2 ā the virus that causes…
June 30, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Long-term Zeposia May Help Cognitive Function in Patients, Data Show Long-term treatment with Zeposia (ozanimod) stabilizes or even improves cognitive function in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly among those with greater brain volumes. Thatās according to five years of data from the completed SUNBEAM Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT02294058) and the ongoing…
June 29, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Managing Fatigue and Other Vacation Tips for People With MS āA holiday is an opportunity to journey within.ā ā Prabhas Last week was only my second weeklong holiday since my relapsing-remitting MS diagnosis in 2017. My husband and I have had weekend getaways here and there, mainly to visit family. Of course, COVID-19 has placed a huge restriction…
June 22, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD MS Bike, Canadian Society’s Annual Fundraiser, Returns to Live Rides The Multiple Sclerosis Society of CanadaĀ has openedĀ MS Bike, an annual cycling event to raise awareness and funds for research and services that make the difference for the more than 90,000 Canadians living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Conducted in an entirely virtual format due to COVID-19 in 2020…
June 17, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Vidofludimus Calcium Safely Reduced RRMS Brain Lesions Treatment with the experimental immune-modulating therapy vidofludimus calcium reduced disease activity on MRI scans in adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), data from the Phase 2 EMPhASIS clinical trial shows. Top-line results from EMPhASIS were reported by the therapy’s developer Immunic Therapeutics in 2020. Researchers at…
June 13, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Evusheld, Immunotherapy, Blood Test, Aubagio Evusheld Boosts Antibodies Against COVID-19 in Vaccinated Patients Research has shown that the COVID-19 vaccines have been effective for people being treated with disease-modifying therapies, except for those that target B-cells, such as Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), Kesimpta (ofatumumab), and Rituxan (rituximab). If this very small study of 18 people proves…
June 13, 2022 News by Hawken Miller RRMS Put Woman on Path Toward ‘Paying It Forward’ Erin Stevensonās doctor laughed when she asked him 13 years ago if the vertigo she felt while training for a first 100-mile bike ride could be related to her motherās multiple sclerosis (MS). MS isn’t a genetic disease, but Stevenson managed to persuade the doctor to schedule a brain…
June 9, 2022 News by Mary Chapman MS Society of Canada Hails Consideration of Disability Benefit Legislation Formal consideration of legislation to establish a Canada Disability Benefit, with the expectation the measure will provide financial support to Canadians who live with multiple sclerosis (MS), is being praised by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. On June 2, the legislation was tabled in Canadaās House of…
May 27, 2022 Columns by John Connor How I Get Through My Days ā More Importantly, Please Tell Me How You Get Through Yours Todayās youth have to accumulate a range of skills. Everything changes so fast. Parents often have no idea what career their kids even want to follow. Do you know what a UX designer is? Me, neither. This latest social change was revealed to me in a recent Guardian article,…
May 25, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah It’s Time to Start Thinking About Seasonal Adjustments and MS The thought of summer approaching both worries and excites me. I’ve always preferred the changing of seasons and fair weather to the height of a season, even before my MS diagnosis. I prefer change and the idea of starting anew, as if it might be a remedy to the…
May 23, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: DMTs and Symptoms, Aquatic Exercise, Infections āHiddenā Disabilities Fairly Common at RRMS Diagnosis, Study Finds This headline doesn’t report the full nature of this story. In addition to being “fairly common,” the research concludes that disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have little effect on these so-called “hidden disabilities.”Ā I don’t agree with that conclusion. Most of…
May 18, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah After Standing Still, Finding My Next Step āThe carousel never stops turning.ā ā the TV drama “Greyās Anatomy” At the 2019 European Patients’ Forum Congress in Brussels, which focused on patient involvement in healthcare, attendees were invited to write down a list of goals they wished to achieve in the next 12 months. After rolling my…
May 16, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS With Rituximab, B-cell Counts Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Response Among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on rituximab, higher B-cell counts are predictive of a better antibody-based response to a vaccine for COVID-19, according to a new Swedish study. “In our study, the B-cell level in patients given Rituximab was the only factor that influenced the ability to form antibodies…
May 9, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Phase 3 Trial to Assess Benefits of Group Resilience Training Program A Phase 3 trial will test the ability of a group resilience training program, called READY, to promote quality of life and better psychosocial outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Involving more than 200 MS patients, the trial will compare the benefits of READY training against those of…