Multiple Sclerosis News

Obese children may be twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis, a new study suggests.

MS Linked to Higher Cancer Risk By Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, July 1, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Multiple sclerosis is a tough disease to manage and live with, but a new, long-running Norwegian study suggests it might also raise cancer risk.Overall, the higher risk was small -- just 12%. However, the risk of certain cancers -- such as central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and optic nerve) cancers and urinary cancers were around 50% higher in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). And respiratory cancers were about two-thirds more likely to occur in people with MS,

The researchers foundt hat obese people have higher levels of inflammation than people of lower weight. That inflammation can affect the central nervous system and cause MS symptoms to worsen.

"I've seen patients suffering side effects from the medication they were taking for a disease they didn't have," said study leader Dr. Marwa Kaisey. “Meanwhile, they weren't getting treatment for what they did have.”

Due to safety concerns, Mavenclad is recommended for people who have not responded to or can't tolerate other MS drugs, the FDA said. The drug is from EMD Serono, Inc.

New research revealed that patients taking a beta interferon drug for more than three years were likely to live longer than those who took one for a shorter time or who didn't take one at all.

Women with MS today can have children, breastfeed and resume their treatment without an increased risk of relapses, the study author said.

People with MS who drank the most sugar-sweetened beverages -- about two cans per day -- were five times more likely to have severe disability than people who seldom drank sugar-sweetened beverages, researchers reported.

Cocoa is rich in flavonoids, which are abundant in fruit and vegetables and have been linked with anti-inflammatory properties.

Medicare rule changes last year were meant to reduce patients' out-of-pocket costs through increased discounts from brand-name drug manufacturers.

Over an average of three years, MS progressed in 34 of 55 patients on medication -- meaning their disabilities worsened. That compared with only three of 55 patients given a stem cell transplant.

A new Swiss study found that people who have secondary progressive MS who took the drug rituximab reported less disabling symptoms over a 10-year period than those who didn't. People taking the drug also had a slower progression of MS symptoms.

Exactly how food allergies might exacerbate MS isn't clear. But the researchers said the results suggest they might boost MS-related inflammation.

People with MS who used cannabis-derived drugs reported slightly fewer muscle contractions, less bladder dysfunction and pain in a new study. But the self-reported results differed from those doctors came up with.

Older patients with MS have less depression and better quality of life compared with younger people, new research suggests.

The first drug approved for use in children with MS reduced relapse rates by 82 percent in people aged 10 to 17 compared with interferon beta-1a, a drug commonly used to slow the progression of the degenerative nerve disease.

Researchers have discovered a new subtype of multiple sclerosis, in which neurons die but there appears to be no damage to the myelin, the fatty, protective covering on nerve cells. The discovery changes the way scientists have understood the disease.

New MRI Test May Predict Severity of MS By Serena GordonHealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, July 17, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often live with uncertainty because it's hard to predict how quickly the disease will progress and how disabling it might become.But researchers hope a new MRI test that tracks iron levels in the brain will help answer those questions. The test -- called quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) -- looks at different areas of the brain and how much iron is deposited in each. In some brain areas, a higher iron level is linked

Among those with a genetic predisposition and organic solvent exposure, MS risk rose sevenfold. About 60 percent of all the MS cases seen fell into this category.

The new guidelines, issued by the academy, took into account studies on MS drugs and concluded that it's best to start use of MS drugs as early as possible.

The treatment involves using cancer drugs to decimate a patient's immune system and then restarting it with a stem cell transplant, BBC News reported.

The current study included more than 1,100 people from Southern California. Their average age was 36. Half had been diagnosed with early MS or with clinically isolated syndrome.

Those who take Tysabri (natalizumab) to manage their MS are more likely to suffer a relapse during pregnancy if they stop taking the drug before they conceive, the first study found.

The new regimen -- called Balance and Eye-Movement Exercises for Persons with Multiple Sclerosis (BEEMS) -- had individuals perform balance and eye-movement exercises.

The study also found that a healthy lifestyle was linked to less depression, fatigue and pain for people with MS.