“The body is a complex dance between stimuli and response.”
Proventus.org.uk
Improving Life -
Our booklets of information are provided free to our members
All contents
© Copyright proventus.org.uk
UK Reg charity
No 1108986
Helpline
Tel 01233 334 879
E-
Website Maker
Serif
Research into the cause and cure of Multiple Sclerosis has been undertaken for many years. Today there is a choice of disease modifying drugs, varied dietary advice, alternative therapies and a range of appliances to support body functions.
Various theories are proposed as to the cause of MS and opinions differ as to which path MS research should follow.
A dazzling array of statistics is presented for consumption.
85,000 MS people in the UK
400,000 MS people in the US
2.5 million MS people world wide.
50 people per week are diagnosed with MS in the UK.
The ratio of women to men diagnosed with MS is 2:1
These statistical figures vary a great deal, according to what you read and who you ask!
The number of MS sufferers in the UK is said to be approx 85,000, this figure has never risen for the past ten years and clearly underestimates the scale of the disorder.
Worldwide numbers are reported at anywhere between 2.5 and 4 million.
The real fact is nobody knows!
Despite many years of research, there is no answer as to what causes MS.
Opinions are diverse, whilst funding for research (as a percentage of money raised) is comparatively small.
Millions of pounds annually is raised in the UK in the name of research.
What percentage of that money is actually committed to research:
5%? 10%? 15%? 20%?
Many people and institutions are researching around the world, do they share their effort?
One has to be very careful that any treatments new or old are not glamorised or denigrated to the detriment of the sufferer.
Information relating to research should not raise false hope e.g. the use of the word ‘wonderdrug’ (often read in the media) clinicians promoting yet to be licensed treatments under the guise of creating awareness (as seen on the Internet).
It is MS people who are the experts when speaking about treatment and any benefit that may occur, they are the people with the experience.
Clinical Trials are an important tool used to assess the safety and efficacy of a potential treatment, however, unless they are 100% independent and science led.
That the ethic committees who approve the trials are proven to be completely independent and unbiased.
That the various bodies who raise money to fund such trials, and by so doing give approval, are independent and unbiased.
That the resulting data is independently written up and presented for peer review.
Unless this is so it may bring into question the clinical trial system itself.
We would humbly suggest that anecdotal evidence and single case studies could play a role, and the data gathered from them to be considered as well.
MultipleSclerosis - Background info.
MS is considered mostly as a relapsing / remitting disease. This means the symptoms come and go in waves. It is important to be aware that even when the symptoms are not apparent, the disease may still be progressing.
Multiple Sclerosis is a label given by the medical community to describe a physical condition; it is not a diagnosis of a specific disease.
MS is the most common primary neurological disorder of young adults, affecting women more than men to a ratio of 2:1.
This ratio is steadily increasing. In the USA it is considered to be 3:1.
Currently, there is no one diagnostic test that determines whether a person has Multiple Sclerosis.
Bladder dysfunction, is common amongst MS people and can cause great discomfort and embarrassment to the sufferer.
Mobility is considered, by the MS people we speak to, to be one of the most frustrating aspects of MS
