Hope for Treatment of Aggressive MS

Did you know Canada has a significant number of new multiple sclerosis cases reported each year? There are about 1,100 Canadians diagnosed with this disorder annually, making this nation one of the highest in the world for MS diagnoses.

Today, there are approximately 50,000 Canadians living with multiple sclerosis. To add to the shock of this, it is said that 1 in 5 people with MS live in Quebec.

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Some symptoms of MS include exhaustion, poor vision, muscle weakness, pain, immobility and more. While the cause of this progressive disorder is not currently known, it is classified as an auto-immune disease that may negatively impact the strand in the brain that is responsible for carrying signals between cells.

Three Levels of MS

There are three levels of MS classified by medical professionals and useful to patients who seek to understand individual cases of the disease.

– Relapse-remitting is when symptoms of MS appear severe, but nearly disappear when in times of remission.

– Primary Progressive implies multiple sclerosis symptoms advance steadily, and rarely, if ever, let up.

– Secondary Progressive starts off as relapse-remitting level of MS, but over time, becomes consistent in the progression of symptoms.

While there is no cure for MS, there are many medical treatments that have been created to ease relapsing symptoms. In addition, medical professionals are persistent is researching multiple sclerosis in patients, and are dedicated to finding a cure.

Bone Marrow Transplants for MS Patients

A procedure that is currently being tested is bone marrow transplant. Clinical trials are proving this option may significantly eliminate relapses in patients with MS. The proposed treatment calls for a form of chemotherapy along with stem cell transplants, using the patient’s own cells.

Trying this procedure marks a major step forward for multiple sclerosis research. It means medical professionals are getting close to understanding the functioning of an MS patient, and how his or her immune system may cause relapses.

Three Canadian medical centres see this treatment as a possible option, as they have all experienced positive results when trying the procedure. In fact, there have been 24 patients with MS who have received clinical trials from different Canadian medical centres.

Many Canadians are putting their hope in bone marrow transplants as an ease to suffering of those with aggressive forms of MS. What would a cure for MS mean for you and your loved ones?