January 11, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Depression in pregnancy linked to autoimmune disease, especially MS Women with a history of depression around the time they get pregnant are at increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), according to recent research. Likewise, women who have an autoimmune disease are more likely to get depressed during pregnancy and in the year after…
January 4, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Breastfeeding may reduce later MS risk for people with family history In people with a family history of multiple sclerosis (MS), exclusive breastfeeding in the first months of life may reduce the risk of developing the disease later on, whereas use of cow’s milk or formula may increase MS risk. That’s according to a new study on the potential impact…
July 26, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AI model is able to predict MS risk years before disease onset A new artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm could help identify people at risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). “Our model’s performance suggests that AI-based prediction models could identify the risk for multiple sclerosis years before neurological symptoms appear,” Raj Gopalan, MD, a scientist at Siemens Healthineers, Tarrytown, New York, said…
July 21, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Early disability tied to higher risk of secondary progressive MS: Study 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…
July 19, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Spinal cord lesions tied to higher risk of clinical relapse in MS: Study The presence of spinal cord lesions ā alone or with brain lesions ā 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…
June 6, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Depression not a causal risk factor for disability progression: Study Physical disability, not whether patients are depressed, when they’re diagnosed with multiple sclerosis significantly influences their future disability progression, according to a recent U.K. registry study. Although patients who were depressed at the time of their diagnosis were more likely to accumulate significant disability and require an aid to…
December 19, 2022 News by Joana Vindeirinho, PhD Combined Genetic and Protein Analysis Reveals New Risk Genes Higher activity of the genes SHMT1, FAM120B, and ICA1L in the brain may increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reports that for the first time linked two of the genes to risk for the disease. The findings may help to better understand the biological…
September 2, 2022 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Delayed Ocrevus Infusion May Increase MRI-based RRMS Risk An extended interval between maintenance doses of OcrevusĀ (ocrelizumab) may increase the risk of MRI-based disease activity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosisĀ (RRMS), according to a real-world, multicenter study in Italy. In fact, an extended interval dosing (by one month or longer) was associated with a fivefold higher risk…
May 23, 2022 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Lower MS Risk in People With High Vitamin D Levels When Young People with high levels of free vitamin D in circulation before the age of 20 have a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life, a new study suggests. A significantly lower risk was also observed among people who, at ages 30ā39, had elevated levels of a…
March 16, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS BCG Vaccine for TB Not Linked to MS Risk: Large Canadian Study Getting the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine to protect against tuberculosis (TB) ā an immunization often given to infants and small children in countries where TB is common ā does not decrease a person’s risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. “Within a large birth cohort…
February 7, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Natural Variations in Interleukin-16 Gene Linked to MS Risk in Small Study Small natural variations within the DNA sequence of the gene for interleukin-16 (IL-16) wereĀ linked toĀ anĀ increased susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small group of Iranian patients. The study, āThe Association of Interleukin-16 Gene Polymorphisms with IL-16 Serum Levels and Risk of Multiple Sclerosis,ā was published in…