Multiple Sclerosis
New Clues to Why Disability Strikes People With MS
A new study may help explain why people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience worsening disability while those with two related diseases do not. MS causes permanent brain and spinal cord scarring, and researchers investigated whether the same damage accompanies two rarer, similar diseases in which the immune system also attacks the central nervous system. The...
MS Patients Facing Increased Anxiety Brought On By COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on the psychological health of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a study published online July 21 in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. Aleksandar Stojanov, M.D., from Clinical Center Nis in Serbia, and colleagues surveyed 95 patients with RRMS to assess psychological status before and during the...
Multiple Sclerosis & COVID-19
Message from the National MS Society: We are closely watching the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and taking action as we all move through this uncharted territory. The most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about in-person gatherings has a significant impact on all we had planned for the next couple months—from...
Exposure to Urban Air Pollution May Up Risk of Multiple Sclerosis
Air pollution may be an environmental risk factor for multiple sclerosis, according to a study presented May 22 at the European Academy of Neurology Virtual Congress. Roberto Bergamaschi, M.D., Ph.D., from the IRCCS Mondino Foundation in Pavia, Italy, and colleagues investigated the association of air pollution (generalized particulate matter 2.5 µm in size [PM2.5]) with...
Progressive MS Cognitive Decline Isn't As Inevitable As Previously Believed
A new study is claiming that neurological decline in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may not be as inevitable as previously thought. The study, “A longitudinal study of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis: is decline inevitable?,” was published in the Journal of Neurology. For many years, statistics have implied that some kind of cognitive impairment affects...
Minorities with Multiple Sclerosis Have Higher Antibody-Secreting Cells Than White Patients
Latinx and Black multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have a higher number of disease-associated antibody-secreting cells in their blood compared to those who identify as Caucasian, a new U.S. study reports. This new evidence may kickstart a myriad of unique treatments for MS based on genetic and ethnic differences. The study, “Black African and Latino/a identity...
Does MS Affect Minority Patients' Immune Systems Differently?
According to a study published in the July edition of the Neurology journal in 2007, multiple sclerosis affects the immune systems of African-Americans and whites differently. The study, pointed out that multiple sclerosis (MS) is not as prevalent but often more severe in Black people than in whites. The exact reason still hasn’t been identified,...
New Research Reveals Herpes Virus Could Lead to Multiple Sclerosis
In a groundbreaking study in the 1990s, researchers stated that herpesvirus 6 (HHV6)—could be somehow involved in the development of multiple sclerosis. However, upon further research, those claims were disproven due to HHV6 turning out to be two related, but distinct variants—HHV6A and HHV6B. Because the two viruses are similar, during the 90s and early,...
Study Suggests BMI Affects Multiple Sclerosis Disease Progression
A recent study suggests that there may be a link between MS progression and blood lipids in MS patients who are overweight or obese. The study published in the Lancet journal EBioMedicine supports previous research that hints food, diet, and exercise can help affect disease progression in MS patients. The study was conducted by researchers at the...
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