Treating Multiple Sclerosis (MS): Where To Start?
- When a patient first gets diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), an “immune-mediated condition” which causes the immune system to work against itself, Dr. Lauren Krupp, a neurologist at NYU Langone in New York City, recommends starting a treatment aimed at stopping new lesions from forming.
- Brain MRIs are essential for diagnosing MS because they can detect lesions in the brain and spinal cord, allowing neurologists to make earlier treatment decisions.
- Find reliable health information whenever you need it: SurvivorNet’s AI-powered My Health Questions tool allows patients and caregivers to get personalized, doctor-backed answers in real time.
“When you first get diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, you want to try to get on a treatment that will prevent new lesions [in the brain or spinal cord] from developing,” Dr. Krupp tells SurvivorNet.
Read More“So people who start on high efficacy therapy five, nine years later are going to be less likely to need a cane, for example, or to transition into that progressive phase [using a wheelchair or walker].”
She continues, “So, all the therapies for MS are designed to modify the immune system, and we don’t want to wipe it out.”
“It’s not like certain conditions, like cancer, where in some cases you have to really significantly suppress the immune system. In MS, we do suppress it, but more gently. Sometimes we use the term modify and we try to be more targeted because we need our immune system. It’s what helps us fight infections.”
The Goals of Therapy
The main goal of therapy is to target specific parts of the immune system that contribute to the development of MS-related problems, Dr. Krupp says.
Various MS treatment approaches help accomplish the following:
- MS treatments are grouped by how they work on the immune system.
- Some MS medicines are once-a-day pills that change how immune cells (lymphocytes) behave. They keep these cells from freely circulating in the blood, so fewer reach the brain and spinal cord, ultimately helping to reduce inflammation and lowering the chance of new MS attacks.
- Other pills make it harder for immune cells to become active or enter the nervous system.
- Treatment also includes medicines to help with symptoms like muscle stiffness and pain.
- Some therapies remove B cells through monthly injections or infusions every 6 months. Others block T cells from entering the brain and spinal cord to prevent lesions. There are also strong combination infusions and oral pills that vary in effectiveness and risks.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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