MS Speaks

The MS International Federation (MSIF) provided an hour-long Webinar on progressive MS on November 27. I heard and watched the proceedings, in which two experts replied to questions submitted by the Webinar participants.

The two panelists were:

Professor Alan Thompson, Consultant in Neurology for the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), whose specialty is MS

and

Dr. Olga Ciccarelli, also of the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, who has a particular interest in MS

Some of the topics touched upon:

Brain atrophy: Dr. Thompson stated that loss of tissue over time is faster in people with MS than in normal tissue.

CCSVI: Both panelists agreed that there is no evidence to support the effectiveness of CCSVI and therefore they can't recommend it.

Statins:  Professor Thompson referred to the recent Lancet study showing that 80 mg of simvastatin daily had a positive effect on brain atrophy and on the level of disability for persons with MS. He commented that this study was a small Phase 2 trial, and that a Phase 3 trial is now needed.

Functional MRI: Professor Thompson maintains that the functional MRI will continue to be a very powerful tool as it uses imaging to give an idea of the working brain instead of just providing static images.

Neuroprotection: Professor Thompson stated that many drugs long used in epilepsy--phenytoin, for example--are known to be neuroprotective and might prove useful in MS.

Hyperbaric oxygen:  Dr. Ciccarelli stated that most patients who have had hyperbaric oxygen treatments report an improved energy level, but Professor Thompson stated that there is no sound evidence to support hyperbaric oxygen treatments in MS.

The session closed with Professor Thompson's statement that you can anticipate a treatment for progressive MS "within a finite period of time."

This last remark seems to me to have very little meaning but in general it was an interesting presentation--though captioning would have made it easier to understand for those who have trouble hearing or have problems understanding unfamiliar accents.

There may be a transcript available at a later time.