News
Open Door - August 2009 page 3
- Swine flu and MS
- Medicine and Me
- New MS therapy centre opens in Cornwall
- Prevalence of MS in the UK revised
Swine flu and MS
The NHS Choices website reports that whilst the risk profile of the swine flu virus is still being studied, it is already known that certain groups are more vulnerable. This includes people with chronic neurological conditions including MS who are advised to start taking antivirals as soon as they are confirmed with the illness.
The disease modifying drugs for MS (Avonex, Betaferon, Copaxone, Extavia, Rebif and Tysabri) do not raise the risk of contracting the virus. People who contract swine flu whilst on disease modifying drug therapy should discuss continuation of treatment with their health professional.
Immunosuppressant drugs and corticosteroids (steroids) can increase the risk of contracting infections generally.
If you are concerned about the potential effects of any drugs you are taking, talk to your GP, neurologist or MS nurse. Medication should not be stopped before speaking to a health professional.
When a vaccine becomes available, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised that people in clinical risk groups will be priority groups for treatment. Experience with vaccinations for seasonal flu vaccines suggest that it is safe to takes these whilst still receiving disease modifying drugs for MS.
Medicine and Me
The MS Trust and the Royal Society of Medicine are jointly hosting a one day information sharing event for people affected by MS, researchers and clinicians on 6 October.
Medicine and Me will focus on three topics.
- Medication - selection for treatment, risks and benefits,, led by Prof David Bates
- Future uncertainty and future research,, led by Prof Neil Scolding
- Family relationships and sexuality, led by Dr Alexander Burnfield
Tickets cost £15 - the MS Trust will cover the cost to people affected by MS.
New MS therapy centre opens in Cornwall
The Cornwall Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre (Merlin Centre) opened on 14 May, offering support to people with MS in an area with a limited range of services. The centre near St Austell provides a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a fully equipped gym with physiotherapy, and complimentary therapies.
Prevalence of MS in the UK revised
In June research was announced that confirms what many people have long suspected, that there are more than 85,000 people with MS. The research, which was carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for the MS Society, suggests the figure may be closer to 100,000.
Researchers used data from the General Practice Research Database (GPRD), which contains anonymised records from 6% of GP practices in the UK. MS is not directly recorded, but researchers searched for codes that indicate a diagnosis of MS. An alternative interpretation that limited identification of people with MS to people who had visited a neurologist around the time of their diagnosis gave a lower estimate of 89,000.
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Disclaimer
Open Door articles are reproduced as published. They are not updated to take account of subsequent developments. Use appropriate caution in acting on the information in any article.