September 24, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Older Age at DMT Discontinuation Linked to Sustained NEDA in CIS Patients Older age at disease-modifying therapy (DMT) discontinuation is the main predictive factor of sustained “no evidence of disease activity” (NEDA) in people starting DMT immediately after being diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), according to a study in Austria. In particular, patients discontinuing DMT at age 45 or…
August 25, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Children with MS May Have More Relapses, But They Recover More Fully Children withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) recover more quickly and “significantly better” from relapses than do adults ā patients with disease onset at age 18 or older, researchers reported. The study, āImproved relapse recovery in paediatric compared to adult multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the journal Brain. Relapses and…
August 24, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Genetic Variants May Explain High Levels of Antibodies Against Epstein-Barr Virus in MS, Study Suggests Genetic variants may contribute to increased levels of antibodies against proteins of the Epstein-Barr virus ā a known environmental risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) ā in MS patients and their siblings, a study suggests. The study, āEBNA-1 titer gradient in families with multiple sclerosis indicates a…
August 6, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD MS Patients Show Greater Risk of Infections Before and After Diagnosis, Study Finds Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have a greater risk of infections, particularly urinary and kidney infections, around the time of their diagnosis, compared with individuals without MS, a large Swedish population-based study found. Rates of serious and non-serious infections, as well as infections caused by bacteria, virus, and fungus, also…
August 5, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Smoking and Epstein-Barr Virus Combine to Raise MS Risk, Study Says Cigarette smoking and an EpsteināBarr virus infection together represent a significant risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting that at least one path to this disease involves two factors working synergistically, a study reports. The study, āSmoking and EpsteināBarr virus infection in multiple sclerosis development,ā was published…
July 30, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Should Be Assessed in MS Cases Clinical evaluation of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients should include the assessment ofĀ lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) alongside neurological ones, according to a recent study. The study, “Lower urinary tract dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis: A post-void residual analysis of 501 cases,” was published in…
July 27, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD HLA-DPB1 Gene Variants May Influence MS Onset and Relapse Risk A variant of the HLA-DPB1 gene ā called HLA-DPB1*04 ā appears to protect people from developing multiple sclerosis (MS) either in childhood or as adults, a study from Greece suggests.
July 1, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Exposure to DMTs Does Not Increase Risk of Severe COVID-19 in MS Patients, Study Finds Exposure to disease-modifying therapies does not increaseĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ risk of developing a severe form of COVID-19, according to a registry-based study. However, MS patients who are older, obese, or have severe neurological impairments have a greater risk of developing a severe form of the disease. Findings…
June 25, 2020 News by David Melamed, PhD Walking Patterns of MS Patients Studied to Reduce Risk of Falling People with multiple sclerosis (MS) exert increased caution with their walking pattern and take smaller steps overall, a study shows. These findings could contribute to the development of better walking rehabilitation programs and decrease the risk of falls. The study, “Influence of Multiple Sclerosis on Dynamic…
June 18, 2020 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Depression 2 to 3 Times More Likely in MS Patients Than Others, Study Finds A likelihood of depression is two to three times higher inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the U.S. and U.K. than in similar groups of people in these countries without the disease, a study reported. This risk was also “most evident in the first five yearsĀ after MS diagnosis” among…
May 21, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Higher Risk of Vascular Disease Among MS Patients in the UK, Population-based Study Reveals People in the United Kingdom (U.K.) with multiple sclerosis (MS) have an increased risk of vascular disease affecting the heart and brain that is not accounted for by traditional disease risk factors, a large, population-based study reports.Ā The study, āEvaluating the Risk of Macrovascular Events and…
May 1, 2020 Columns by Ed Tobias How Has COVID-19 Affected Your MS Life? I canceled my April blood draw. The protocol for Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) requires lab work each month because the treatment can have serious side effects. But I spoke with my neurologist and we decided that I could skip it. Blame it on COVID-19. My legs are stiffer than they were two…
April 17, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Inflammation, Blood Fats Linked to Cardiovascular Disease in MS Scientists have identified a link between systemic inflammation and fat (lipid) metabolism that may underlie the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study with that finding, āLipoprotein profiling in early…
March 23, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cognitive Impairment in Early MS Not Linked to Ethnicity, US Study Suggests Ethnicity does not seem to have an influence on the degree of cognitive impairment seen in patients at the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), a U.S.-based study suggests. The study, āRace, ethnicity, and cognition in persons newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,ā was published in 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…
March 18, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Gilenya Linked to Slightly Increased Cancer Risk in MS, Swedish Study Suggests The risk of invasive cancer may be slightly higher in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with GilenyaĀ (fingolimod) compared with those treated with rituximab, and with people from the general population, a Swedish study suggests. The study, āCancer Risk for Fingolimod, Natalizumab, and Rituximab…
March 17, 2020 News by David Melamed, PhD Virtual Reality Test Can Detect Subtle Balance Issues in MS Patients A new test involving a virtual reality simulation was able to detect balance issues in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially allowing doctors to identify whether a patient is at risk of falling despite having no apparent problems with walking, according to new research. The results of the study,…
February 24, 2020 News by David Melamed, PhD MS Patients Switching from Tysabri to Other Therapies May Risk Disease Activity Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients switching from Tysabri (natalizumab) to other disease-modifying therapies may have an increased risk of disease activity, though the risk is lower if the switch is limited to three months, a study found. The results were published in an article, “Effect of…
February 12, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Rituximab Appears Safe for Women to Use While Breastfeeding, Small Study Finds RituximabĀ is barely detected in breast milk of women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who took the therapy while breastfeeding their child, small study shows. Results suggest that women with RRMS can continue with a disease-modifying treatment while breastfeeding. The study āMinimal breast milk transfer of…
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 30, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Epstein-Barr Virus and Certain Genes Interact in Ways That Can Promote MS, Study Finds Interaction between various Epstein-Barr virus traits and the composition of certain genes affects the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. The study, āThe interaction of Multiple Sclerosis risk loci with Epstein-Barr virus phenotypes implicates the virus in pathogenesis,ā was published in the journal…
January 27, 2020 News by Vanessa Pataia Living Near Major Roadways Raises Risk of MS and Other Neurologic Ills, Study Says People living close to major roads or highways are at a greater risk ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā a database study of people in metropolitan Vancouver reports. Parks and other green spaces in urban areas that might lower exposure to air pollutants did not affect a person’s overall risk of developing MS,…
January 24, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gene Variants Linked to High Childhood BMI Point to Higher MS Risk, Study Finds Genetic variations that increase body mass index (BMI) in childhoodĀ are associated with a higher risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) regardless of a person’s vitamin D levels, a study found. The study, “BMI and low vitamin D are causal factors for multiple sclerosis,” was published in…
January 9, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Weight Loss Diets Rare Among Obese MS Patients Despite Link to Disease Progression, Study Suggests Despite the fact that being obese or overweight may worsenĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) prognosis, people with the neurodegenerative disease are not more likely to adopt weight loss diets, a small study suggests. The study, āObesity, dieting, and multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related…
January 8, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Study Links FTO Gene Mutation to Obesity, Increased Disability in MS Patients A common mutation in the fat-mass obesityĀ (FTO) gene is associated with obesity and increased disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a Kuwaiti study. The data, which showed no link between this mutation and an increased risk of MS, highlights the need for more studies about…
November 18, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Novel MRI Marker Better at Predicting MS Progression, Study Reports A large retrospective study suggests that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) marker ā called ābrain atrophied T2 lesion volumeāĀ ā could help predict the timing of multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. According to the study, this marker was the only MRI parameter capable of predicting disease progression, compared with other…
November 6, 2019 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Specific FOXP3 Mutation Linked to Greater Likelihood of MS in Brazilian Women, Study Reports A specific mutation in the FOXP3 gene, one already linked toĀ multiple sclerosisĀ in the Iranian population, was now also seen to increase the risk of MS in Brazilian women, a study reports. This mutation is also associated with higher-than-normal levels of TGF-Ī²1, an anti-inflammatory molecule, a finding that requires…
October 29, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Levels of Infection-fighting Antibodies Low in Blood of People with MS, Study Finds People with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to have low levels in their blood serum of certain antibodies that can protect against infection, regardless of whether they are using a disease-targeted therapy or not, a study reports. These levels were not so low as to risk infection on their own,…
October 25, 2019 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Higher Intellectual Ability, Early-life Physical Activity May Protect Against Cognitive Impairment in MS, Study Suggests Higher intellectual ability and physical activity during childhood and adolescence may help protect against the development of cognitive impairment in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an Italian study suggests. These findings, though preliminary, suggest that intellectual enrichment and early-life physical activity may reduce the likelihood of developing cognitive deficits…
October 21, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD GAL Gene Variant May Put MS Patients at Risk for Rapidly Progressive Disease, Study Suggests A genetic variant in theĀ galanin gene (GAL) appears to be a risk factor for more severe multiple sclerosis (MS), nearly doubling the risk of rapidly progressive disease, particularly in patients whose disease onset occurs…