Category Archives: MS Treatment

Relying too much on brain scans appears to be one reason doctors each year misdiagnose multiple sclerosis in hundreds of patients whose symptoms are caused by some other disease. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center surveyed 242 multiple sclerosis specialists in the U.S. to find out how often they see patients who have been misdiagnosed. Among the 122 respondents, more than 95 percent said they saw at least one patient in the past year diagnosed with MS by another medical provider, but the specialist "strongly felt" the patient had some other disease. Three out of four specialists said they saw three or more misdiagnosed patients within the past year. The authors estimate that the 122 specialists saw 600 patients in a year who had been given an incorrect diagnosis of MS. An estimated 280 of the misdiagnosed patients were receiving therapy for MS with a disease-modifying drug, which can cause serious side effects and cost $40,000 or more per patient per year. "Some of these patients have had this diagnosis for years," says lead author Dr. Andrew Solomon, an assistant professor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, who began the … Continue reading →

Public release date: 9-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Todd Murphy murphyt@ohsu.edu 503-494-8231 Oregon Health & Science University PORTLAND, Ore. It is relatively common for doctors to diagnose someone with multiple sclerosis when the patient doesn't have the disease a misdiagnosis that not only causes patients potential harm but costs the U.S. health care system untold millions of dollars a year, according to a study published online today in the journal Neurology. The study is based on a survey of 122 multiple sclerosis specialists nationwide and was conducted by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Neurology is the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The survey found that all but six of the multiple sclerosis specialists more than 95 percent had seen at least one patient within the past year who had been diagnosed with MS by another medical provider, but the MS specialist "strongly felt [the patient] did not in fact have MS." Almost three-quarters of the MS specialists said they had seen at least three patients within the past year who they believe had been misdiagnosed. More than one-third of respondents said they had seen six … Continue reading →

The FDA is warning health-care professionals and patients that injuries and death have been associated with the use of the experimental procedure. The therapy was devised by Italian physician Paolo Zamboni, who says MS is caused by vein blockages in the neck and upper chest that prevent blood from being drained from the brain. He says opening these veins with balloon angioplasty reverses symptoms of MS; Zamboni calls the vein blockages chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency or CCSVI. The FDA says studies exploring a link between MS and CCSVI are inconclusive, and the criteria used to diagnose CCSVI have not been adequately established. Scores of Canadians have travelled overseas to get the treatment; at least two Canadians are known to have died after undergoing the therapy. Dr. William Maisel, the chief scientist and deputy director for science in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, says patients considering the treatment should discuss the pros and cons with a neurologist or other doctor familiar with MS and CCSVI. In a release, the FDA says it has learned of adverse events experienced by people who have undergone the treatment, including death, stroke, detachment and migration of stents that are sometimes used to … Continue reading →

05-05-2012 20:34 A short update after the big move and thoughts on the clogged jugular. Go here to read the rest: CCSVI and MS Update - After the Move, May 5, 2012 - Video … Continue reading →

Just because he wasn't at Allen Park on Sunday doesn't mean Doug Brown's presence wasn't felt. As Team DJ participated in the MS Walk in Allen Park on Sunday, Brown was in Buffalo receiving treatment for multiple sclerosis. Still, Brown's team was among the largest in attendance Sunday for the annual fundraiser. "We started out with just a few family members, but the team has just grown and grown," said Heather Brown of Team DJ. "We have around 60 people on the team this year and our goal is to raise at least $10,000 every year for the foundation. Doug (Brown) is missing the event for the first time this year because he is currently going through treatment for MS at Buffalo General Hospital." Brandy Wadsworth, the captain of Team Awesomeness, also has multiple sclerosis. "This team is all family and friends. I have MS so I'm doing these events while I can still walk. I want to be able to raise money for those people that can't," said Wadsworth. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society held its Walk MS Jamestown event Sunday, starting at the Allen Park Ice Rink, with hopes of raising more than $13,000 for the Upstate New … Continue reading →

PLATTSBURGH North Country residents whose lives have been impacted by multiple sclerosis will have an opportunity to raise awareness of the disease during a fundraiser in Plattsburgh this weekend. Walk MS, a national organization dedicated to supporting people with multiple sclerosis, will hold its first-ever local event on U.S. Oval on Sunday, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. and the walk commencing at 10. WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY The Plattsburgh location was made possible by the dedication of several people who felt a need to bring a local MS program to the North Country. I contacted the National MS Society following my attendance at an annual Walk MS event in Saratoga Springs because my sister-in-law was participating on behalf of Tracey SantaMaria, said Kelly Murphy of AuSable Forks. Tracey (who has MS) was unable to attend last year due to an MS-related issue, and the drive would have been too long and difficult for her to sustain, she added. Murphy emailed the Upstate New York Chapter of Walk MS about the possibility of organizing an event in Plattsburgh, and that started the wheels in motion to organize a local fundraiser. This is a wonderful opportunity for people in our region, said SantaMaria, … Continue reading →

4 May 2012 Last updated at 12:40 ET Ukraine's jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has agreed to be treated locally for a back problem, according to a visiting German doctor. She had hoped to go abroad, but Ukraine's chief prosecutor has said prison inmates are not allowed to travel for medical treatment. Ms Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of office. Several EU leaders have threatened to boycott Euro 2012 football games in Ukraine over how she is being treated. Leaders in the Netherlands and Germany - two of the tournament favourites - have said they will boycott matches in Ukraine, which is co-hosting the games with Poland, if Ms Tymoshenko's treatment does not improve. She is suffering from a herniated disc in her back and her supporters have said she is too ill to remain in jail in Ukraine. The former prime minister was visited on Friday by German physician Dr Karl Max Einhaupl, who told reporters that the authorities had agreed to her request to be treated by a German doctor. Both the German and Russian governments had offered to treat her in their hospitals, but Ukraine has refused to let her leave the country. Dr … Continue reading →

Fourteen years after the Wellsville Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Walk started, there is a greater awareness of the disease which is now said to affect infants and young children. Marlee Cannon, who grew up in Whitesville, but who lives in Wellsville, started the local MS Walk after she was diagnosed with the neurological disease in the 1990s. An active mother with two basketball-minded sons, she said, I wanted to raise awareness and let people know what was happening to me and what may be happening to them. In 1999, when Cannon started the MS Walk, research indicated that MS was a disease which affected the brain and spinal cord, resulting in loss of muscle control, vision, balance and sensation. This usually occurred in women after their mid-30s. But recent research has shown that MS has begun to be diagnosed in infants and toddlers. I have a friend whose 5-year-old granddaughter was diagnosed with MS. They noticed a change in her gait and had her tested, Cannon said. Cannon and Diane Winans, who took over the walk in 2006 and who also has MS, said, Everyone is different, in the way the disease manifests itself. Cannon noticed a problem with sight and … Continue reading →

The Forgan Smith building at the UQ St Lucia campus is lit up red in support of MS Awareness Month. UQ today switches on the red floodlights on the northern side of the Forgan Smith Building in the middle of the Great Court, and will leave them on between 6pm and 11pm every night for the duration of MS Awareness Month, to help raise awareness of the disease. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic neurological condition amongst young Australian adults today -- a disease that attacks a person's brain and spinal cord causing irreparable damage. More than 21,000 Australians are living with it and, while there is no known cure, researchers at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) and the UQ Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR) are working to find treatments and learn more. Dr Judith Greer, an expert in MS at UQCCR, said the centre was working on understanding more about several aspects of MS. This includes studying genes that appear to be related to development of chronic progressive MS, trying to understand why pregnancy has both short and long-term beneficial effects for women with MS and looking at the role of EBV (the virus that causes glandular … Continue reading →

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