scholarly journals A Profiling Study of People with Multiple Sclerosis Who Access Physiotherapy Services in Ireland

2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Coote ◽  
Grainne McKeown ◽  
Michelle Shannon ◽  

In a survey of its members conducted by the MS Society of Ireland, access to physiotherapy was reported as the greatest unmet need. This national multicenter profiling study surveyed people with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving physiotherapy services at a range of locations to determine their characteristics and the amount of intervention received. A standardized data-collection sheet was developed, and data were collected over a 3-month period. The lower-extremity section of the Guys Neurological Disability Scale was used to classify mobility level, which varied widely. A total of 295 people received physiotherapy at 17 services during the 3-month period. Of these, 72% were female, and most had relapsing-remitting (43%) or secondary progressive MS (39%). Those using walking aids made up the largest proportion of participants (47.5%). On average, participants received 3.6 hours of physiotherapy over the 3-month period, with 36% of participants receiving 1 hour or less and 9.5% of participants receiving more than 8 hours. The main problems cited were balance, fatigue, walking, mobility, and strength. Further research is required to determine whether the small amount of physiotherapy being received by MS patients in Ireland is sufficient to bring about improvement or prevent further deterioration in functional status.

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 1577-1584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Filli ◽  
Louis Hofstetter ◽  
Pascal Kuster ◽  
Stefan Traud ◽  
Nicole Mueller-Lenke ◽  
...  

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. MS lesions show a typical distribution pattern and primarily affect the white matter (WM) in the periventricular zone and in the centrum semiovale. Objective: To track lesion development during disease progression, we compared the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of lesions in relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS). Methods: We used T1 and T2 weighted MR images of 209 RRMS and 62 SPMS patients acquired on two different 1.5 Tesla MR scanners in two clinical centers followed up for 25 (± 1.7) months. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal differences in lesion distribution between RRMS and SPMS patients were analyzed with lesion probability maps (LPMs) and permutation-based inference. Results: MS lesions clustered around the lateral ventricles and in the centrum semiovale. Cross-sectionally, compared to RRMS patients, the SPMS patients showed a significantly higher regional probability of T1 hypointense lesions ( p≤0.03) in the callosal body, the corticospinal tract, and other tracts adjacent to the lateral ventricles, but not of T2 lesions (peak probabilities were RRMS: T1 9%, T2 18%; SPMS: T1 21%, T2 27%). No longitudinal changes of regional T1 and T2 lesion volumes between baseline and follow-up scan were found. Conclusion: The results suggest a particular vulnerability to neurodegeneration during disease progression in a number of WM tracts.


2008 ◽  
Vol 389 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isobel A. Scarisbrick ◽  
Rachel Linbo ◽  
Alexander G. Vandell ◽  
Mark Keegan ◽  
Sachiko I. Blaber ◽  
...  

Abstract Tissue kallikrein KLK1 and the kallikrein-related peptidases KLK2–15 are a subfamily of serine proteases that have defined or proposed roles in a range of central nervous system (CNS) and non-CNS pathologies. To further understand their potential activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), serum levels of KLK1, 6, 7, 8 and 10 were determined in 35 MS patients and 62 controls by quantitative fluorometric ELISA. Serum levels were then correlated with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores determined at the time of serological sampling or at last clinical follow-up. Serum levels of KLK1 and KLK6 were elevated in MS patients (p≤0.027), with highest levels associated with secondary progressive disease. Elevated KLK1 correlated with higher EDSS scores at the time of serum draw and KLK6 with future EDSS worsening in relapsing remitting patients (p≤0.007). Supporting the concept that KLK1 and KLK6 promote degenerative events associated with progressive MS, exposure of murine cortical neurons to either kallikrein promoted rapid neurite retraction and neuron loss. These novel findings suggest that KLK1 and KLK6 may serve as serological markers of progressive MS and contribute directly to the development of neurological disability by promoting axonal injury and neuron cell death.


Author(s):  
M Hoseinipourasl ◽  
M Zandkarimi ◽  
J Abdolmohammadi ◽  
K Sharifi ◽  
S Miraki

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, typically progressive and most common autoimmune disease which damaged the central nervous system. According to the reports in 2008, this disorder has affected 2 and 2.5 million people globally. While the reason is not clear, proposed causes for this include immunologic, environmental, infectious and genetic factors, and sexuality. MS can cause many symptoms, including blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, blindness, and more. There are four distinguished illness fields in MS: relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), primary–progressive MS (PPMS), secondary–progressive MS (SPMS), and progressive–relapsing. MRI is a great tool to identify the asymptomatic distribution of lesions in space and time.Materials and Methods: 32 patients with MS plaques were evaluated by FLAIR and DWI pre- and post-Gadolinium injection compared with 15minutes delay T1w SE.Results: FLAIR post-inject had significantly better detection of the number and signal intensity of active MS lesions. DWI and ADC images detected active plaques different from non-active lesions without contrast.Conclusion: The result of this study showed that FLAIR post-inject had the highest sensitivity in detection of active MS lesions due to the CSF signal suppression in FLAIR, thus offering enough TR time recovery in active enhanced plaques.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hernan Inojosa ◽  
Undine Proschmann ◽  
Katja Akgün ◽  
Tjalf Ziemssen

The presence of disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) is an important hallmark for MS patients in the course of their disease. The transition from relapsing remitting (RRMS) to secondary progressive forms of the disease (SPMS) represents a significant change in their quality of life and perception of the disease. It could also be a therapeutic key for opportunities, where approaches different from those in the initial phases of the disease can be adopted. The characterization of structural biomarkers (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging or neurofilament light chain) has been proposed to differentiate between both phenotypes. However, there is no definite threshold between them. Whether the risk of clinical progression can be predicted by structural markers at early disease phases is still a focus of clinical research. However, several theories and pathological evidence suggest that both disease phenotypes are part of a continuum with common pathophysiological mechanisms. In this case, the clinical evaluation of the patients would play a preponderant role above destruction biomarkers for the early identification of disability progression and SPMS. For this purpose, the use of clinical tools beyond the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) should be considered. Besides established functional tests such as the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC), patient's neurological history or digital resources may help neurologists in the decision-taking. In this article, we discuss arguments for the use of clinical markers in the detection of secondary progressive MS and the characterization of progressive disease activity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 205521731878334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Coret ◽  
Francisco C Pérez-Miralles ◽  
Francisco Gascón ◽  
Carmen Alcalá ◽  
Arantxa Navarré ◽  
...  

Background Disease-modifying therapies are thought to reduce the conversion rate to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Objective To explore the rate, chronology, and contributing factors of conversion to the progressive phase in treated relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis patients. Methods Our study included 204 patients treated for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis between 1995 and 2002, prospectively followed to date. Kaplan–Meier analysis was applied to estimate the time until secondary progressive multiple sclerosis conversion, and multivariate survival analysis with a Cox regression model was used to analyse prognostic factors. Results Relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis patients were continuously treated for 13 years (SD 4.5); 36.3% converted to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis at a mean age of 42.6 years (SD 10.6), a mean time of 8.2 years (SD 5.2) and an estimated mean time of 17.2 years (range 17.1–18.1). A multifocal relapse, age older than 34 years at disease onset and treatment failure independently predicted conversion to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis but did not influence the time to reach an Expanded Disability Status Scale of 6.0. Conclusions The favourable influence of disease-modifying therapies on long-term disability in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis is well established. However, the time to progression onset and the subsequent clinical course in treated patients seem similar to those previously reported in natural history studies. More studies are needed to clarify the effect of disease-modifying therapies once the progressive phase has been reached.


Author(s):  
Manoj Sivan ◽  
Margaret Phillips ◽  
Ian Baguley ◽  
Melissa Nott

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the commonest of the demyelinating CNS conditions and is the most frequent condition causing neurological disability in younger adults. It causes a combination of physical and cognitive disabilities, which, when combined with starting in young adult life and with an uncertain rate of progression, make it both challenging and responsive to rehabilitation. It is important to understand the criteria for diagnosis both to be able to discuss prognosis with patients and because symptoms may become apparent later which affect the diagnosis. It is more likely that rehabilitation medicine clinicians will see those with primary or secondary progressive MS than relapsing–remitting MS because the impact of disability tends to be greater and the current benefits from disease-modifying therapies less in progressive MS.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. e021944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Connick ◽  
Floriana De Angelis ◽  
Richard A Parker ◽  
Domenico Plantone ◽  
Anisha Doshi ◽  
...  

IntroductionThe major unmet need in multiple sclerosis (MS) is for neuroprotective therapies that can slow (or ideally stop) the rate of disease progression. The UK MS Society Clinical Trials Network (CTN) was initiated in 2007 with the purpose of developing a national, efficient, multiarm trial of repurposed drugs. Key underpinning work was commissioned by the CTN to inform the design, outcome selection and drug choice including animal models and a systematic review. This identified seven leading oral agents for repurposing as neuroprotective therapies in secondary progressive MS (SPMS). The purpose of the Multiple Sclerosis-Secondary Progressive Multi-Arm Randomisation Trial (MS-SMART) will be to evaluate the neuroprotective efficacy of three of these drugs, selected with distinct mechanistic actions and previous evidence of likely efficacy, against a common placebo arm. The interventions chosen were: amiloride (acid-sensing ion channel antagonist); fluoxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) and riluzole (glutamate antagonist).Methods and analysisPatients with progressing SPMS will be randomised 1:1:1:1 to amiloride, fluoxetine, riluzole or matched placebo and followed for 96 weeks. The primary outcome will be the percentage brain volume change (PBVC) between baseline and 96 weeks, derived from structural MR brain imaging data using the Structural Image Evaluation, using Normalisation, of Atrophy method. With a sample size of 90 per arm, this will give 90% power to detect a 40% reduction in PBVC in any active arm compared with placebo and 80% power to detect a 35% reduction (analysing by analysis of covariance and with adjustment for multiple comparisons of three 1.67% two-sided tests), giving a 5% overall two-sided significance level. MS-SMART is not powered to detect differences between the three active treatment arms. Allowing for a 20% dropout rate, 110 patients per arm will be randomised. The study will take place at Neuroscience centres in England and Scotland.Ethics and disseminationMS-SMART was approved by the Scotland A Research Ethics Committee on 13 January 2013 (REC reference: 13/SS/0007). Results of the study will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration numbersNCT01910259; 2012-005394-31;ISRCTN28440672.


2015 ◽  
Vol 86 (11) ◽  
pp. e4.14-e4
Author(s):  
Jacob Howells ◽  
Waqar Rashid

BackgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling illness of young adults in the UK causing significant social and economical cost. The aim of this study was to ascertain further detail of the characteristics of the MS population in an area of Sussex representing about 25% of the whole region.MethodsThe following was obtained from community databases: (a) demographics; (b) employment status; (c) DMT use; (d) walking aid use and (e) utilisation of social care.ResultsN=665. The mean (SD) age was 54 (13.2) years; Relapsing-Remitting MS 51%, Secondary Progressive MS 29% and Primary Progressive MS 15%. Of participants <65 years: 56% were unemployed, 44% worked part or full-time; 57.8% of participants required walking aids to mobilise, 23.3% were on a DMT, 35.1% required informal care and 20.2% required external social care. We found associations (at α level=0.05) between unemployment and: SPMS, walking aid use, informal care and external social care.DiscussionThis study highlights the needs of people with MS in Sussex. Of note is the impact on employment and the need for walking aids and additional care associated with MS. This knowledge will allow us to better develop services for people with MS with commissioners.


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