Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Can noninvasive brain stimulation reduce MS spasticity? For a long time, I’ve had to deal with spasticity, a common…
disease progression
Older age and greater physical disability when starting a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) were linked to worse cognitive function for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, but cognition remained relatively stable over the next several years, according to a Swedish study. Due to the high rates of DMT switches and…
Levels of GFAP protein in the blood — a marker of damage to support cells in the brain — were associated with the enlargement of brain lesions and of fluid-filled brain cavities called ventricles in people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) undergoing Tysabri (natalizumab) treatment, a study showed. While…
In 2010, I strolled into a new hospital to meet my new neurologist. In them there far-off days, I was indeed strolling — nay, striding — but it wouldn’t last. I was surrounded by an aura of self-confidence that anyone who’s survived the vicissitudes of nearly three decades of show…
Disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) significantly reduces their quality of life, affects their ability to work, and represents a major socioeconomic cost, according to real-world data collected from a German MS registry. These results suggest that the use of disease-modifying therapies to slow MS progression…
People who experience a first attack of multiple sclerosis (MS)-like disease are less likely to experience long-term disability progression if they start treatment within the first few months, a new study reports. “When it comes to MS treatment, the earlier the better,” Alvaro Cobo-Calvo, MD, PhD, co-author of the…
A higher quality diet is associated with reductions in certain types of brain lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS), but no link was seen between a good diet and the risk of MS relapses or disability progression, a new study from Australia indicates. The study, “Higher…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) with a rapid decline in walking abilities were more likely to be older when first examined, female, or Black, according to a large data study in the U.S. Other factors associated with worsening walking impairment over time included living with MS longer, having progressive…
In 2007, at age 47, I had my first-ever consultation with a neurologist. It was during my longest-ever hospital stay, as of then — a whopping eight days. It amazed me that some of my fellow patients in the ward managed to gather themselves and struggle outside for a ciggy,…
“Will you still need me, will you still feed me/ when I’m 64?” Could Paul McCartney have imagined what life would be like at 64 when he wrote that iconic lyric as a teenager, or when the Beatles recorded it in their early 20s? I never could’ve imagined…
Vitamin D reduced the signs of inflammation and nerve damage in a rat model of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. Low levels of the vitamin have been extensively linked with a higher risk of developing relapsing forms of the disease, but studies of vitamin D supplementation in…
Following a ketogenic diet — one that’s low in carbohydrates and rich in fat — for six months significantly reduced measures of body fat and fatigue, eased disease symptoms, and improved exercise capacity, cognition, and arm and hand dexterity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study showed.
In people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), relapses that occur in the first few years after the disease develops have a strong impact on rates of disability worsening — but after about 2.5 years, more relapses don’t consistently result in a greater worsening of disability, according to…
In multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammation leads to less energy production in nerve fibers by reducing the levels of enzymes in a key molecular pathway, called the TCA cycle, that cells use to generate energy, a new study shows. These findings imply that boosting activity of the TCA cycle might…
Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) can greatly reduce quality of life for patients and affect their ability to work, according to real-world data collected from a German MS registry. These results “confirm the steadily deteriorating course of PPMS accompanied by increasingly limited quality of life,” researchers wrote. The study,…
What a person eats in childhood can influence their future risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) and its clinical course, according to a recent Dutch study. A poor diet with more fast food, snacks, and candy as a child tended to be associated with a higher risk of developing…
Experiencing disability in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), even without relapses, increases the risk of progression to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a more severe form of the disease, a large study finds. Starting a disease-modifying therapy early on in the disease may decrease the SPMS…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who take their prescribed disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) as recommended have better long-term health outcomes and lower healthcare costs than those who don’t, a U.S. study finds. Adhering to treatment can help reduce relapses, slow disease progression, and reduce the economic burden on both…
A first-of-its-kind study is aiming to determine whether older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) can safely stop taking disease-modifying therapies, also known as disease-modifying agents (DMAs). The project is being led by scientists at the new P-HOPER Center, officially the Population Health Outcomes and Pharmacoepidemiology Education and Research…
The presence of spinal cord lesions — alone or with brain lesions — on MRI scans was associated with a higher risk of clinical relapse for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients over those with just brain lesions, according to a recent study. Spinal and brain lesions together were also predictive…
INmune Bio‘s experimental therapy XPro1595 may promote myelin restoration through the activation of two types of nervous system support cells, according to new data that may lead to novel treatment strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative disorders. The findings highlight the activation of microglia, key…
Elevated blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a marker of nerve damage, are associated with long-term disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) — even among those without acute relapses or MRI disease activity — a study revealed. The results demonstrate the potential utility of NfL blood…
Tysabri (natalizumab) is better than five other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) at reducing relapses and preventing disability worsening in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to the findings of a novel simulated clinical trial that directly compared the six treatments. The analysis used mathematical modeling to emulate a clinical trial…
A European Union (EU) initiative is bringing scientists together to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based platform that could help in predicting the course of multiple sclerosis (MS) for each person. The consortium’s project, which aims to “offer clinicians a holistic overview of the MS patient” — from disease…
Outcomes are better for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) initially treated with higher efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) than for those who begin with lower efficacy DMTs and escalate to more effective treatments as the disease progresses, according to a real-world analysis of patient registry data. Findings also…
Up to five years of treatment with Kesimpta (ofatumumab) continues to keep the number of relapses and brain lesions low in people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), with most patients showing no evidence of disease activity. These are new data from the ongoing ALITHIOS study…
Researchers have developed computer algorithms that may be able to predict certain aspects of cognitive change in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The prediction models, constructed using data from an electronic, self-administered test of information processing speed given MS patients, might accurately identify those likely to experience cognitive worsening over…
Researchers identified a genetic variant that associated with faster multiple sclerosis (MS) progression and greater brain tissue damage, according to a study that combined data on more than 12,500 patients in North America, Europe and Australia. Unlike previously detected MS-related variants linked to the immune system, this variant sits…
Diet was found to significantly influence the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms among patients living in Denmark in a new real-world study. A diet rich in plant-based products was generally associated with a lower symptom burden than one high in red and processed meats. The same was true…
Among four antibody-based therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) works best to prevent disability progression and other measures of disease activity in people with PPMS, or primary progressive MS, a review study found. However, the medication is associated with an increased risk of infection, data suggested.