Health Care Resource Usage Among NARCOMS Participants
May 12th, 2008The NARCOMS update surveys routinely include questions related to health care provider visits and treatment patterns. The following article summarizes the responses to some of these questions in the fall 2007 update survey. We are very pleased to share the results with MSQR readers and very grateful for the collaboration of the 10,131 NARCOMS participants who responded to this survey. Read the rest of this entry »
Development of an Educational Program for Caregivers of People Aging With MS
May 7th, 2008Prevalence of ‘Poor Sleep’ Among Patients With MS: An Independent Predictor of Mental and Physical Status
May 5th, 2008A Longitudinal Study on Effects of a Six-Week Course for Energy Conservation for Patients With MS
May 5th, 2008MSQR 27.1 Table of Contents
February 4th, 2008
Feature Articles
Optic Neuritis in Multiple Sclerosis
Breaking News
Optic Neuritis in Multiple Sclerosis
February 4th, 2008Jane W. Chan, MD–Associate Professor of Neurology Ophthalmology, Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky
<Risk Factors for Developing Optic Neuritis in Autoimmune Disease
Although optic neuritis most often affects young adults, atypical cases of optic neuritis are sometimes seen in elderly patients. Bilateral optic neuritis in childhood is not uncommon, and it is believed that in these cases there is less risk of progression to MS (Beck et al., 1993b). Read the rest of this entry »
Neuromyelitis Optica
February 4th, 2008Dean M. Wingerchuk, MD, MSc, FRCP(C)
A Historical Perspective on NMO
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), also known as Devic’s disease, was identified more than one hundred years ago as a severe disorder affecting the spinal cord (causing paralysis) and both optic nerves (causing blindness). Read the rest of this entry »
NARCOMS Report-2007 Registry Update
February 4th, 20082007 Registry Update
Patricia Davis, MS––NARCOMS Database Coordinator, Barrow Neurological Institute, Arizona; Tuula Tyry, PhD, MAEd–Program and Editorial Manager, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
Introduction
CMSC/NARCOMS is a long-term MS research project driven by voluntary enrollee participation. Participants are asked to complete updates twice a year by mail or a secure online survey. Read the rest of this entry »
MSQR 26.4 Table of Contents
November 14th, 2007
Feature Articles
Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Relapses
Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Relapses
November 14th, 2007Denise I. Campagnolo, MD, MS––Director Clinical Multiple Sclerosis Research, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix,
Arizona; Timothy L.Vollmer, MD–– VanDenburgh Fellow, Director BNI Neuroimmunology Program, Barrow Neurological
Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
Key Words:
Antigens – Any substance that provokes an immune response. Ideally, the antigen is a foreign substance, like a protein made by a bacterium. Sometimes T cells inappropriately react with “self-antigens” ( i.e., substances made by the body). When this happens, an autoimmune disease can develop. MS is thought to be, at least in part, an autoimmune disease. Read the rest of this entry »
Living With Multiple Sclerosis Disease Progression
November 14th, 2007Elizabeth Auld, PA- C––Spinal Cord Program, MSCS,VA Connecticut Healthcare System,West Haven, Connecticut
Introduction
Research into what is happening to the central nervous system in multiple sclerosis (MS) gives hope that the disease can be slowed and eventually cured or prevented. Realistically, persons with MS understand that until there is a cure, they will have to accept and make the best of what is, in fact, a disabling disease. Read the rest of this entry »
NARCOMS Report-Relapse Management
November 14th, 2007Tuula Tyry PhD, MAEd—Program and Editorial Manager, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
Introduction
A relapsing-remitting disease course is typical in most cases of multiple sclerosis (MS), especially during its early stages. Optimal treatment of each relapse (or exacerbation) depends on its severity and other factors as described in the lead article in this issue (see pages 6 – 11). Read the rest of this entry »
Neuro-immunologic Perspectives of MS
August 17th, 2007Amit Bar-Or, MD, FRCPC-Heuroimmunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
Introduction
There are two major body systems whose interactions are responsible for multiple sclerosis (MS). One is the central nervous system (CNS), whose cells are damaged or destroyed by the disease. The other is the immune system, whose cells are thought to perpetrate the damage. Information that is useful for understanding MS can be drawn from studying both of these systems separately and by looking at their interactions. Read the rest of this entry »
Understanding and Managing the Bladder Problems that Accompany MS
August 17th, 2007Denise I. Campagnolo, MD, MS-Director of Clinical Multiple Sclerosis Reserach, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
Introduction
If you have been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) for ten years or more, there is a greater than 90% chance that you have trouble with urination (Crayton, Neyman, & Rossman, 2004). In fact, even if you were newly diagnosed, you may still have some degree of bladder symptoms. These symptoms are often some of the most distressing, and at times disabling, of MS symptoms. A working knowledge of how the urinary system works and how it is affected in MS is the first step in getting help for these issues. The good news is that more often than not, bladder symptoms can be controlled. Read the rest of this entry »
NARCOMS Report-Recent Research Findings
August 17th, 2007Ruth Ann Marrie, MD, PhD-Mellen Center for MS Treatment and Research, Cleveland Clinic Foundation-CMSC/NARCOMS Research Fellow; Tuula Tyry, PhD, MAED-NARCOMS Program and Editorial Manager-Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
Introduction
The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) started the NARCOMS project in 1993 to aid multiple sclerosis (MS) research. More than 32,000 persons have enrolled in the NARCOMS Registry since 1996, when enrollment first opened. Participants are from the United States, Canada, and over 50 other countries around the world. After ten years of work, the value of the NARCOMS project is being demonstrated with a growing number of publications and presentations. We are very pleased to share some of the more recent research findings with you. Read the rest of this entry »
Nerve Fibers are Severed by Inflammation in MS Lesions, Leading to Permanent Disabilities
April 24th, 2007Bruce Trapp, PhD––Cleveland Clinic, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, Ohio
Background
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, disabling neurodegenerative disease. It strikes most often during early adulthood, and it affects about twice as many women as men. Many aspects of MS, including its cause, are not well understood. It is unknown whether MS represents a single disease, or if its symptoms are the result of different diseases that have the same neurodegenerative effects. There is, however, a growing understanding of how the permanent physical and mental disabilities caused by MS arise over time. Read the rest of this entry »
Cognitive Issues in Multiple Scelorsis
April 24th, 2007Jiong Shi, MD, PhD––Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona; Seema
Khurana, DO––University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
Introduction
Multiple sclerosis (MS) was first described by a French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot (1815–1893) who identified the typical symptoms of MS. Read the rest of this entry »
