Results for search "Multiple Sclerosis".
Multiple sclerosis makes people vulnerable to more severe cases of COVID-19, but a new study finds that getting the COVID vaccine won't trigger a relapse of MS symptoms.
“People with MS have an increased risk of severe COVID infection due to their level of motor disability or exposure to treatments that suppress their immune systems,” explained study lead author
A new monoclonal antibody treatment called Kesimpta (ofatumumab) appears to improve on an older drug in pushing multiple sclerosis (MS) into remission, a new trial shows.
Funded by Kesimpta's maker, Novartis, the trial compared the new therapy against teriflunomide (Aubagio), an immune-...
The discovery that the Epstein-Barr virus might be a major driver of multiple sclerosis has re-energized research into the autoimmune disease.
Now, investigators in the U.K. and Sweden believe they might be closer to understanding how the virus, which also causes mononucleosis, might help spur MS.
"The discovery of the link between Epstein-Barr Virus [EBV] and multiple sclerosis ha...
Climate change is likely to make brain conditions like stroke, migraine, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis even worse, a new review warns.
The potential effects of a changing climate is likely to be substantial on a range of neurological conditions, researche...
Advanced scanning techniques can find hidden inflammation in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a new study shows.
This "smoldering"inflammation detected by positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans could help explain why patients continue to decline even though imaging shows no brain changes, researchers reported recently in the journal
An early marker of multiple sclerosis could help doctors figure out who will eventually fall prey to the degenerative nerve disease, a new study says.
In one in 10 cases of MS, the body begins producing a distinctive set of antibodies in the blood years before symptoms start appearing, researchers reported April 19 in the journal
Children who are obese face double the odds of developing multiple sclerosis later in life, a new study warns.
The overall odds for any one child to develop the neurodegenerative illness remains very low. However, the Swedish researchers believe the link could help explain rising rates of MS.
"There are several studies showing that MS has increased over several decades and obesity ...
Chemicals found in common household products might damage the brain's wiring, a new study warns.
These chemicals -- found in disinfectants, cleaners, hair products, furniture and textiles -- could be linked to degenerative brain diseases like multiple sclerosis and autism, researchers report.
The chemicals specifically affect the brain's oligodendrocytes, a specialized type of cell ...
Actress Christina Applegate, who has been battling multiple sclerosis (MS) since 2021, shared her struggles with the debilitating disease on Monday.
"I live kind of in hell. I'm not out a lot, so this is a little difficult, just for my system. But of course, the support is wonderful, and I'm really grateful,"Applegate noted in an interview on
Certain drugs used to treat multiple sclerosis appear to be safe for babies if taken by breastfeeding moms, a new study finds.
Breastfed babies whose moms received monoclonal antibody treatments for MS did not develop any more developmental delays than babies not exposed to the drugs through breast milk. The findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's upcoming annual...
Young Black and Hispanic women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis are more likely to fare worse than young white women do, a new study shows.
Specifically, they are more likely to have advanced MS and to face greater challenges during pregnancy, according to findings published Jan. 23 in the journal Neurology.
"We found that Black and Hispanic women faced socioeconomic disad...
DNA locked in the bones and teeth of more than 5,000 humans who lived in Asia and Europe up to 34,000 years ago are providing vital clues to a myriad of present-day medical conditions.
The descendants of these ancient peoples are living now in Europe and throughout the world. But their forebearers' genetic legacy lingers, according to researchers who presented their findings in four studi...
Pain can present itself in many forms for people battling multiple sclerosis, and one type can interfere with exercising, new research shows.
One class of pain experienced by MS patients is what the authors of the new study call nociceptive, caused by specific damage to tissues. Another form is neuropathic pain, caused by the loss of the protective myelin sheath around nerves that is a ha...
There's information emerging on how the common Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) might be crucial to triggering multiple sclerosis (MS).
The virus, which also causes "mono" (mononucleosis) and other illnesses, has gained prominence in recent years as a potential cause of MS. Over 95% of people are thought to carry EBV, although for most people it remains dormant.
Now, a team of Texan researc...
Patients in the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis might develop certain symptoms that offer an early clue to the degenerative nerve disease, researchers report.
Depression, constipation, urinary tract infections and sexual problems are all more likely in MS patients five years before their official diagnosis, compared with people who never develop MS, researchers found.
Those co...
Stem cells injected into the brains of multiple sclerosis patients appear to protect them against further damage from the degenerative disease, a new study shows.
MS occurs when the body's own immune system attacks and damages the protective sheath around nerve fibers, called myelin. This disrupts messages sent around the brain and spinal cord.
MS patients who received a fetal stem ...
Researchers have found a remedy for the debilitating fatigue faced by many patients with multiple sclerosis (MS): A low-fat diet.
"The results reinforced what we had seen before," said study leader Dr. Vijayshree Yadav, director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Oregon Health & Science University in Portl...
One issue hampering the care of people with multiple sclerosis is assessing just how quickly the neurological illness might progress.
Now, a team at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), say they've spotted at test that could help do just that.
Blood tests showing elevated levels of Nfl, a "biomarker" indicating nerve damage, seemed to predict with high accuracy a wors...
A new study is strengthening the evidence that stem cell transplants can be highly effective for some people with multiple sclerosis -- sending the disease into remission for years, and sometimes reversing disability.
Researchers found that of 174 MS patients who underwent stem cell transplants -- with cells from their own blood -- two-thirds had no evidence of "disease activity" over 10 ...
A newer understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS) suggests that psychiatric conditions like anxiety and depression may emerge long before classic MS symptoms.
"For a long time, it was thought that MS only really began clinically when a person experienced their first demyelinating event, such as in the form of vision problems,"said senior author
A large number of drugs used to treat everything from multiple sclerosis to blood cancers to rheumatoid arthritis may cause a rare but often-fatal condition called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).
But a simple genetic test can determine who has a 10-fold higher risk for developing this condition, which means those patients could discuss safer treatment options with their ...
Patients with a type of multiple sclerosis (MS) known as relapsing-remitting MS could have less fatigue if they got more active and were in better physical shape, according to new research.
The study also found that a lower disability rate was also associated with less fatigue.
"The fi...
Patients who get treatment for multiple sclerosis at the earliest signs of disease may have a lower risk of disability later, new research suggests.
Among nearly 600 patients, there were lower odds of disability and progression among people diagnosed and treated within six months of symptoms onset, researchers report in their new study, published recently in the journal
For the first time, scientists have identified a genetic variant that may make some people with multiple sclerosis (MS) vulnerable to faster progression.
In a study of more than 22,000 people with MS, researchers found that those who carried a particular genetic variant faced a faster decline: They needed to use a walking aid about four years earlier, on average, than people who did not c...
Women with multiple sclerosis temporarily get much better when pregnant, and researchers now think they know why.
Pregnancy causes a downshift in a woman's immune system, and it appears that this unintentionally improves symptoms associated with the autoimmune disorder MS, according to a new study published recently in the
For years, multiple sclerosis was seen as a disease that largely affects white people. But a new study finds that it's much more common among Black Americans than previously believed.
Researchers found that in 2010, an estimated 3 out of every 1,000 Black Americans were living with multiple sclerosis (MS). That was less than the prevalence among white Americans, at 4 out of every 1,000, b...
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that attacks the central nervous system and leaves patients suffering from a host of symptoms, and now new research finds life stressors can make those symptoms even worse.
Poverty, abuse and divorce in childhood and adulthood can significantly impact the level of disability someone with MS experiences, according to researchers from Michigan Me...
It's been known for years that Epstein-Barr virus can trigger multiple sclerosis or drive progression of the degenerative disease, and Swedish researchers think they now understand why.
Some people have antibodies against the common Epstein-Barr virus that mistakenly attack a protein found in the brain and spinal cord, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden say.
Antibodie...
Growing numbers of people have MRI brain scans to find out what's causing their headaches, see if they have a concussion or for another reason, when a doctor may spot the tell-tale lesions of multiple sclerosis (MS).
Called radiologically isolated syndrome, this occurs in people who have no MS symptoms but whose scans show abnormalities that are similar to those seen with MS. For doctors,...
While thinking declines can be a common symptom of multiple sclerosis in women, new research suggests sleep, or lack of it, could be making matters worse.
"Sleep disorders have gained substantial recognition for their role in cognitive [thinking] decline, which affects up to 70% of people with multiple sclerosis,"explained study author
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and atherosclerosis both involve an abnormal hardening of body tissue, and recent research suggests they may be linked.
MS is a neurodegenerative disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord. Atherosclerosis is hardening of the arteries.
Studies show connections between the two, according to Ochsner Health System in New Orleans. In 2018, a team of Romanian ...
Women with multiple sclerosis who want to undergo fertility treatment can do so without worry, according to a new study.
Participants who had MS were no more likely to have a flare-up of the disease after receiving fertility treatments than they were before their treatments, researchers found.
The study also found a link between MS medication and lack of an increase in relapses d...
A Mediterranean diet may help multiple sclerosis (MS) patients ward off damage to their thinking skills.
New research finds that a diet rich in veggies, fruit, fish and healthy fat reduced their risk of developing memory loss as well as losing the ability to concentrate, learn new things or make decisions.
A loss of such key mental skills, or "cognitive impairment,"is a common featu...
Teens who regularly fail to get a good night's sleep may face a higher risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS) as adults, new research suggests.
"We found that sleeping too little or experiencing poor sleep quality [as a teen] increased the risk of later developing MS by up to 50%,"said study author Dr....
A new study is adding to evidence that people with multiple sclerosis can benefit from a type of stem cell transplant -- including some patients who are in a more advanced phase of the disease.
The research is the latest look at a potential alternative treatment for some patients with MS -- using their own blood stem cells to try to reboot their faulty immune systems.
Studies have f...
Extreme fatigue often tops the list of the most distressing symptoms for millions of people who live with multiple sclerosis (MS).
And now, a new study suggests that light therapy may help these folks get their lives back.
MS is an autoimmune disease that occurs when th...
Obesity is never healthy, and that may be especially true for people who also develop multiple sclerosis.
Obese people with MS are likely to see the disability linked to the disease rapidly worsen, said German researchers who followed more than 1,000 patients in a new study.
Weight loss, they suggested, might help slow the progression of the disease.
"The findings from this s...
Actress Selma Blair made one last waltz through the "Dancing with the Stars" ballroom on Monday night.
The actress, who has multiple sclerosis, announced during the show that it would be her l...
Scientists have been looking to the microbiome, and its numerous gut bacteria, as an area of research with plenty of potential for finding connections to various diseases.
Now, scientists have found evidence of significant differences between the gut bacteria of individuals who have
Research has linked heart disease to specific autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Now, a huge study shows that autoimmune diseases as a group increase your chances of developing heart ills.
Autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus and type 1 diabetes occur when the body engages in friendly fire against its own organs, tissues, ...
An experimental antibody therapy for multiple sclerosis can cut symptom flare-ups by half, versus a standard treatment, a new clinical trial has found.
The drug, called ublituximab, beat a standard oral medication for
Vitamin D exposure, or lack of it, has long been thought to influence the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) because the disease is diagnosed more often in people in northern countries.
However, new research suggests there might be an additional reas...
For people with multiple sclerosis, certain factors early in their disease may determine their quality of life in the years to come, a new study suggests.
In medicine, there are ways to objectively measure a disease's course, such as whether a medication is keeping it under control. And then there's health-related
A drug used "off-label" for multiple sclerosis (MS) is more effective than a standard medication at preventing symptom flare-ups, a new clinical trial has found.
The drug, called rit...
Two experimental vaccines show promise in protecting against infection with the "mono" virus, which also causes cancer and has been implicated as a potential trigger of multiple sclerosis, a new paper reports.
Tested only in animals so far, the vaccines block two pathways by which the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ta...
Black Americans are as likely to get multiple sclerosis (MS) as their white counterparts, but rates are much lower among Hispanic and Asian Americans, new research shows.
The findings refute the long-held belief that MS is rare in Black people, according to the study authors. The findings were published online April 27 in the journal
In 2019 alone, multiple sclerosis (MS) cost Americans an estimated $85.4 billion, a new study finds.
That amount included over $63 billion in direct medical costs and $22 billion in indirect non-medical costs.
"The findings of this study help underscore the burden of MS in the U.S. and our hope is our results will inform decision-making regarding MS-related health resources," said s...
Telemedicine was widely used by Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS) during the pandemic, and many were happy with the results, a new study finds.
"The findings suggest that telehealth services were well liked during the pandemic. Because many individuals with MS have physical disability that may make travel more difficult, tempo...
The mononucleosis virus, Epstein-Barr, has become a major suspect in the search for what causes multiple sclerosis.
Now researchers are raising the next logical question -- can we stop both MS and mononucleosis by preventing Epstein-Barr infections, which occur in 95% of adults?
Epstein-Barr vaccines currently under development by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH...