Managing Multiple Sclerosis

I just read an interesting story that broke concerning so-called “benign” multiple sclerosis.

According to the American Academy of Neurology, this so-called [tag]benign MS[/tag] may not be so benign after all.  It was discovered that many of the people who are told that they have benign MS, because they have few disabling symptoms after 10 years, might not really be benign.  A study was published in Neurology, which is the scientific journal published by the American Academy of Neurology.  This study says that [tag]benign MS[/tag] might not be!

A study involving 169 people was conducted.  These people had what was considered [tag]benign MS[/tag] after 10 years.  The study found that after a 20 year period, the disease had progressed substantially in 21 percent of those “benign” cases.  Substantially means that those 21 percent had progressed to the extent that they needed assistance from a cane in order to walk.  Even though most of them had been diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, after 20 years, approximately 20 percent of those people now had advanced to the secondary progressive form of MS.  In that type, the disease shows a steady progression instead of the more typical relapsing remitting type, where there are flare-ups, known as exacerbations, that remit and often allow full recovery.

Unfortunately, in this study, they were unable to identify any particular signs that made one person more likely to move to the secondary progressive stage.  There was nothing related to gender, symptoms or age that was indicative of the disease progressing or remaining benign.

Hopefully, more studies will be able to ultimately, more accurately, predict the course of a person’s specific type of MS.  For now, the disease remains as elusive as ever with those of us who suffer from multiple sclerosis still hoping for that “silver bullet” that will cure it.

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