September 12, 2023 News by Steve Bryson, PhD No greater risk of hospitalization found after vaccines in MS in study People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who receive vaccines against influenza ā commonly known as flu shots ā as well as diphtheria, polio, pneumoccocus, and multiple other pathogens are not significantly more likely to be hospitalized due to a disease relapse, according to a new study in France. Similar…
May 6, 2022 Columns by John Connor A Conundrum of Low Blood Sodium Causes My Latest Health Scare “Well, this an idea for your next column, John,” my wife, Jane, said, a tad sardonically. At least I thought it was probably sardonic, as there was just a wisp of a razor-thin smirk glimmering at the corners of her eyes. This was because she was wearing a face…
April 13, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Pain and Positivity: My Experience With Plasmapheresis “‘Cause I would never break your heart/ I would only rearrange/ All the other working parts will stay in place.” ā Biffy Clyro, a Scottish rock band If youāve spent any time in a hospital, you know that it never gets completely dark. Thereās always a light flickering somewhere, a…
March 26, 2021 Columns by John Connor The MS Astronaut Returns After a 10-day Hospital Stay So, where off Earth have I been? Nothing as adventurous as a space flight, I’m afraid, but a more prosaic litany of mishaps. First, I did crash, but that was from a vicious steroid withdrawal. My body went limp. Later, it would become even limper. A small wound on…
March 5, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ACTRIMS2021 ā Taking Medication During Pregnancy Reduces Healthcare Costs Editorās note: TheĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today news team is providing in-depth and unparalleled coverage of the virtual ACTRIMS Forum 2021, Feb. 25ā27. GoĀ hereĀ to see the latest stories from the conference. Women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who continue taking disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) throughout pregnancy accrue lower non-maternity healthcare…
September 30, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD #MSVirtual2020 – Rituximab, Ocrevus Linked to Higher Risk of Worse COVID-19 Outcomes The use of certain disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) such asĀ rituximabĀ andĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), which lower the number of a patient’s immune B-cells,Ā may increase the odds of developing a more severeĀ COVID-19 disease course for people withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study, which includes data from the…
March 19, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD Canadian Study Reports Fewer MS-related Hospital Admissions as Patients Age and Among Women Older age, a greater number of health conditions, and prior hospital admissions are associated with more hospitalizations due to all causes among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, MS-related hospitalizations decrease as patients age, and are less frequent among women, according to a study analyzing more than two decades…
February 5, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Having Other Health Conditions Does Not Raise Risk of MS-related Hospitalization, Study Finds Having other health conditions, or comorbidities, along with multiple sclerosis (MS) does not increase a person’s risk of being hospitalized due to MS-specific symptoms, although it does raise the rate of all-cause hospital admissions, a study found.Ā The finding was described…
January 3, 2020 News by Alejandra Viviescas, PhD DMT Use Linked to Fewer Hospitalizations Among Adults with MS in Canadian Province The growing reliance on disease-modifying therapies (DMTs)Ā to treat people with multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā has led to fewer hospitalizations but not a drop in the number of physician visits, a population study of DMTs and their impact on healthcare use in Canada reports. The study, “Association between…
October 4, 2019 Columns by John Connor Saturday Night and Sunday Morning: A Weekend of UTIs For the last few months, urinary tract infections (UTIs) have been the main subject of this column. My current disease-modifying therapy, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), has had a significant impact on my multiple sclerosis (MS). The only downside is that Ocrevus attacks B-cells in the body, increasing the risk…
June 24, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Healthcare Needs ‘Particularly High’ in Children and Teens with MS, Study Finds The burden in treating children with multiple sclerosis (MS) in terms of hospitalizations and doctor visits is extremely high, especially in the first year after diagnosis, a study from Canada reports. The study, “High rates of health care utilization in pediatric multiple sclerosis: A Canadian population-based study,”…
September 4, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Smoking Aggravates Respiratory Complications, Increases Sedentary Lifestyle in MS Patients, Study Reports Cigarette smoking worsens shortness of breath and fatigue, increases the rate of hospital admissions, and fosters a sedentary lifestyle in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study. The research, āEffects of cigarette smoking on respiratory problems and functional levels in multiple sclerosis patients,ā…
April 12, 2018 News by Stacy Grieve, PhD First Generation Disease-modifying Therapies Pose Low Infection Risk in MS, Study Finds A large group study showed that first-generation disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) do not increase the infection risk in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Many of the DMTs used to reduce the risk of relapse in MS target the immune system and cause a suppression of the inflammatory response. Although helpful in…
July 11, 2017 News by Stacy Grieve, PhD Long-term Use of Ampyra Lowers Medical Costs, Hospital Visits for MS Patients, Study Finds A recent study has found that continued use of Ampyra (dalfampridine extended-release, sold in the U.S. by Acorda Therapeutics) by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) lowers both inpatient hospital visits and overall healthcare costs. Results from the study, titled āInpatient Admissions and Costs Associated with Persistent…
July 6, 2017 News by admin Younger MS Patients Who Are Hospitalized May Be at Higher Risk of Quitting Treatment, Study Reports MS patients who start treatment at a younger age, and whose condition requires hospitalization, are more likely to stop treatment, a Canadian study reports. The research, published in the journal Dovepress, dealt with the main reasons Canadian patients quit first-line injected disease-modifying therapies, or DMTs. It was titled āPersistence to disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis in a Canadian cohort.ā DMTs can reduce MS activity, but patients must stick with them in order for them to be effective. āThere is currently a paucity of clinical trial data on what happens to individuals when they discontinue DMT," the researchers wrote. "However, recent preliminary evidence from observational studies suggest increased relapses and disability in those who discontinue DMT." Researchers sought to identify MS patients at higher risk of discontinuing treatment. They looked at Manitoba Province's medical database to identify the types of drugs MS patients were taking, and for how long. The analysis covered 721 patients who received injected beta-interferons or Copaxone between 1996 and 2011, and whom doctors followed for at least a year. Teva manufactures Copaxone, whose generic name is glatiramer acetate. The mean age of the patients in the study was 37.6 years, and 74.2 percent were women. Researchers defined a discontinuation of a DMT as a 90-day or longer gap in treatment. A third of the patients were treated with beta-interferon-1b, either Bayer HealthCare's Betaferon/Betaseron or Novartis' Extavia. It was the first such therapy available in Manitoba. Twenty-three percent of patients received beta-interferon-1a, either Biogen's Avonex or Merck's Rebif. And 21 percent received Copaxone. The median time before a patient discontinued a DMT was 4.2 years. Although 62.6 percent of patients discontinued treatment at some point, 57.4 percent either reinitiated it or switched to a different DMT. Patients who were on DMT at least a year were more likely to stay with it than those who stopped in the first year. Importantly, patients who started a DMT at a younger age were more likely to stop taking it than older patients. āOur results are also consistent with previous work examining persistence for other chronic medication classes, including statins, antihypertensives, bisphosphonates, and oral antidiabetic agents, where the risk for discontinuing drugs declined in a linear fashion with age,ā the researchers wrote. The team also found that 16 percent of patients had to be hospitalized overnight, with 3 percent of the cases due to MS-related complications. And these hospitalized patients were more likely to stop their DMT treatment earlier, the researchers said. Summing up, the team said: "Subjects who were younger when starting a DMT, had prior MS-related hospitalizations, were more recently diagnosed with MS, or had a greater lag time between their MS diagnosis and DMT initiation were more likely to discontinue therapy." Although "not all of the factors identified with discontinuing DMT" can be modified, "they may help practitioners enhance MS care by identifying individuals who may be at particular risk for DMT discontinuation," the researchers concluded.
June 14, 2017 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc SPMS Patients Have Higher Illness Burden than RRMS Patients, Kantar Health Study Shows Patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) have a higher burden of illness than patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, a new study showed. The study, āCharacteristics, burden of illness, and physical functioning of patients with relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: a cross-sectional US survey,ā appearedĀ in…
May 26, 2017 Columns by John Connor Lemtrada I: This Island Couch The latest drug media storm to erupt in Britain is “Spice,” which causes users to become living statues. Exactly a year ago, I became a living statue for six weeks, and not one reporter hassled me. That would have broken the monotony! We all have our own version…
November 18, 2015 News by Margarida Azevedo, MSc Multiple Sclerosis Report Highlights High Cost of Care in UK A new report, written jointly by the NHiS Commissioning Excellence and the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Trust, highlights the healthcare costs of emergency hospitalization of MS patients in the United Kingdom and points to more cost-effective and better ways toĀ care for this patient population. The executive summary and full report are…