Multiple Sclerosis Health Center

News and Features Related to Multiple Sclerosis

Epstein-Barr Virus Linked to MS

May 4, 2009 (Seattle) -- Infection with Epstein-Barr virus appears to raise the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), Boston researchers report. The findings offer the strongest evidence to date implicating the virus as a trigger for the chronic progressive autoimmune disorder of the brain and
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2 New Drugs May Fight Multiple Sclerosis

April 30, 2009 (Seattle) -- Two new oral drugs cut by about half the relapse rate in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). If approved by the FDA, the drugs -- cladribine and fingolimod -- would become the first treatments for MS that don't involve regular injections or infusions. In one study, about
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High Doses of Vitamin D Cut MS Relapses

April 28, 2009 (Seattle) -- High doses of vitamin D dramatically cut the relapse rate in people with multiple sclerosis, a study shows. Sixteen percent of 25 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) given an average of 14,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day for a year suffered relapses, says
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Experimental MS Drug May Aid Walking

Feb. 26, 2009 -- An experimental drug called fampridine may improve walking in some people with multiple sclerosis. Researchers report that news in the Feb. 28 edition of The Lancet. They studied 301 U.S. and Canadian adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). At the study's start, the patients were timed
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Smoking at Young Age May Raise MS Risk

Feb. 20, 2009 -- Youngsters who start smoking before age 17 may be putting themselves at increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis, a new study suggests. Researchers studied 87 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were among more than 30,000 people who took part in the 2002 National Healt
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Vitamin D May Cut Multiple Sclerosis Risk

Feb. 6, 2009 -- Getting enough vitamin D early in life may cut the odds of developing multiple sclerosis, researchers report. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more common in parts of the world far from the equator, where the sun wanes during winter. During that seasonal sunshine shortfall, it's harder for
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Tips for Living Well With Multiple Sclerosis

Are you living with multiple sclerosis? Make the most of each day with these tips for living well with MS. Hands-on relief: You can soothe bladder problems, spasticity, and instability with physical therapy. Exercise helps ease MS symptoms -- but only if you don’t overdo it. Talk to your doctor for
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Experimental Pill May Treat MS

Oct. 23, 2008 -- An experimental pill may help curb brain lesions in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), which is the most common form of MS. That finding comes from a new study, published in the Oct. 25 edition of The Lancet. The pill, which contains a chemical called fumarat
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Guarded Optimism for Experimental MS Drug

Oct. 22, 2008 -- An experimental multiple sclerosis drug proved to be much more effective for the treatment of early MS than a widely used treatment in a study, but the efficacy came at a price. Patients with early relapsing-remitting MS treated with the drug alemtuzumab had far fewer relapses and e
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MS Drug Tysabri Tied to Brain Infection

Aug. 1, 2008 -- Two multiple sclerosis patients in Europe have come down with a rare, serious brain infection called PML (progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy). The patients, who are in stable condition, are the first confirmed cases of PML in Tysabri users since the drug was reintroduced in t
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