COVID-19

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Managing Fatigue and Other Vacation Tips for People With MS

ā€œA 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…

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…

RRMS Put Woman on Path Toward ‘Paying It Forward’

Erin Stevensonā€™s 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 motherā€™s multiple sclerosis (MS). MS isn’t a genetic disease, but Stevenson managed to persuade the doctor to schedule a brain…

After Standing Still, Finding My Next Step

ā€œThe carousel never stops turning.ā€ ā€“ the TV drama “Greyā€™s 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…