Progress In Multiple Sclerosis Research And Treatment

At the annual meetings of the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Socie ties (IFMSS) the representatives of the national MS societies of numerous countries assemble for discussions and reports on work accomplished, under way, and to be undertaken in the future. In addition to publicity work, education, and patient ser vices, there has been an increasing interest in obtaining first hand, reliable, and re alistic information not only on the medical problems relevant to diagnosis, treat ment, and the management of MS, but also on progress in the difficult field of MS research. For this purpose the International Medical Advisory Board (IMAB) was founded. In the past years its members have organized a number of symposia in conjunc tion with the IFMSS meetings in New York, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Toronto, Am sterdam. The program of the G6ttingen symposium, relevant in its focus to the 1978 meeting of the IFMSS in Hannover, had the double purpose of bringing together scientists from many countries with active MS societies, and to inform the organi zers and members of these societies, and thereby also the MS patients, of problems and progress in a number of areas of MS research. The program was conceived as a survey of newer work undertaken in basic and experimental MS research and, on the clinical side, as a reassessment of the prerequisites in the diagnosis of MS, the value of laboratory tests, some therapeutic approaches, and organizational princi ples in the management of MS.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and often disabling disease of the nervous system, affecting about 1 million people worldwide. Even though it has been known for over a hundred years, no cause or cure has yet been discovered-but now there is hope. New therapies have been shown to slow the disease progress in some patients, and the pace of discoveries about the cellular machinery of the brain and spinal cord has accelerated. This book presents a comprehensive overview of multiple sclerosis today, as researchers seek to understand its processes, develop therapies that will slow or halt the disease and perhaps repair damage, offer relief for specific symptoms, and improve the abilities of MS patients to function in their daily lives. The panel reviews existing knowledge and identifies key research questions, focusing on: Research strategies that have the greatest potential to understand the biological mechanisms of recovery and to translate findings into specific strategies for therapy. How people adapt to MS and the research needed to improve the lives of people with MS. Management of disease symptoms (cognitive impairment, depression, spasticity, vision problems, and others). The committee also discusses ways to build and financially support the MS research enterprise, including a look at challenges inherent in designing clinical trials. This book will be important to MS researchers, research funders, health care advocates for MS research and treatment, and interested patients and their families.

Looking at the lastest advances in research into multiple sclerosis, from genetics to the use of magnetic resonance imaging and the organization of MS care.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a life-long chronic disease diagnosed primarily in young adults. During an MS attack, inflammation occurs in areas of the white matter of the central nervous system (nerve fibres that are the site of MS lesions) in random patches called plaques. This process is followed by destruction of myelin, which insulates nerve cell fibres in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin facilitates the smooth, high-speed transmission of electrochemical messages between the brain, the spinal cord, and the rest of the body. The initial symptom of MS is often blurred or double vision, red-green colour distortion, or even blindness in one eye. Most MS patients experience muscle weakness in their extremities and difficulty with co-ordination and balance. Most people with MS also exhibit paresthesias, transitory abnormal sensory feeling such as numbness or pins and needles. Some may experience pain or loss of feeling. About half of people with MS experience cognitive impairments such as difficulties with concentration, attention, memory, and judgement. This volume presents leading research from around the globe.

Over the past decade, we have made great advances in the field of multiple sclerosis (MS) research, and this book focuses on those advances in MS pathogenesis and treatment. While some of these advances have been through new approaches and ideas that have emerged in the last decade such as the newly identified protective role that amyloid proteins may play in MS or the use of helminths to treat autoimmune diseases, others have evolved from previous theories and ideas that have only now gained momentum and a deeper understanding such as the role of HLA or gender in MS susceptibility. This book covers these emerging and evolving topics and highlights the substantial advancements made in elucidation of the factors regulating susceptibility or disease progression, identification of new ways to monitor or predict MS pathology, and development of new strategies for treating MS.

This book reviews the therapeutic developments in clinical trial design that have resulted in new treatment options for patients suffering from MS. Important ethical considerations that arise with the new treatments are included, as well as the perspective on the emergence of MS as a treatable disease.