Published on
Thursday May 28, 2020 at 5:38 am
in BRUXELLES (Belgium)
“We have treatments for multiple sclerosis and we should not hesitate to use them,” said Professor Dominique Dive, clinical director and neurologist at the CHU de Liège, as World Sclerosis Day approaches. in plates (SEP) of May 30, which this year has as a theme “connections”. Some 15,000 Belgians and more than 2 million men and women around the world are affected by the disease. No medicine can cure MS at the moment, but there are treatments which can influence the evolution of this pathology, which affects the central nervous system. While the first treatment of MS appeared in Belgium in 1996 , considerable therapeutic progress has been recorded in the past 20 years. These advances have been accomplished both at the molecular level, since more drugs are now available, but also in terms of treatment of the disease, with earlier treatments that help stabilize its evolution, explains Professor Dive . However, once the diagnosis has been made, too many patients are still afraid of the side effects of the treatments for multiple sclerosis, regrets the neurologist, who speaks of “therapeutic inertia”. However, early management of this pathology will condition the future, even if the symptoms are milder at first. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40. The disease comes in many forms. Thus, the most common relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis is characterized by relapses with periods of remission. This type of MS affects 3 women for 1 man, underlines Professor Dive. This predominance in women is explained by various factors (hormonal reasons, exposure to stress, smoking, …). Obesity and a vitamin D deficiency can also affect the disease, all individuals combined. Primary progressive multiple sclerosis affects both men and women. It often appears later and is more difficult to treat, points out Dominique Dive. The theme of World MS Day 2020-2022 is “connections”. This theme addresses the social barriers that make people with MS feel alone and socially isolated. Isolation is all the more difficult in this period of health crisis linked to the coronavirus, which reignites many fears and raises many questions. “We took very important precautions at the start of the epidemic and postponed many meetings in favor of teleconsultations,” said Professor Dive. “In the beginning, there were many questions about the risk of more frequent infections for patients with multiple sclerosis due to the taking of certain drugs. But it was found that the treatments did not have negative impacts On the other hand, more severe complications may appear for people at a more advanced stage of the disease. ” (Belga)
© 2020 Belga. All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. All the information reproduced in this section (dispatches, photos, logos) is protected by intellectual property rights held by Belga. Consequently, none of this information may be reproduced, modified, rebroadcast, translated, commercially exploited or reused in any way whatsoever without the prior written consent of Belga.
–
