In a study called Health insurance affects the use of disease-modifying therapy in multiple sclerosis, published in the journal Neurology, researchers find the not surprising fact that drug costs and insurance coverage influence treatment for this manageable disease. The article points out that the person with MS has health-care costs 4.7 times the cost of a healthy […]
I read an article called MS Misdiagnosis in the Era of McDonald Criteria, which reported on a presentation at the 2016 American Academy of Neurology meeting by researcher Dr. Andrew Solomon. The presentation was on a pilot study that started by asking a group of multiple sclerosis (MS) experts to recall examples of when they […]
Multiple sclerosis and pregnancy can coexist. There are just some issues to contend with including the need to stop disease-modifying therapy during pregnancy and preferably leading up to becoming pregnant. Then, during pregnancy, relapses (inflammatory attacks on brain or spinal cord) are generally reduced during pregnancy. But 20-40% of women will have a relapse within […]
I read an article in Neurology Today called New Supreme Court Case & the Complicated Accounting of MS Drugs which details some eye-opening realities about the cost of multiple sclerosis. The article impetus was a Supreme Court agreement to hear Teva Pharmaceutical’s challenge to generic makers of its MS drug glatiramir acetate (Copaxone), a drug […]
It is very common for a brain MRI report to say something like: “There are scattered white matter T2 and FLAIR hyperintensities in both hemispheres. These findings can be consistent with microvascular ischemia, demyelination including multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease, lupus, viral infections, migraine, trauma, amongst other entities. Clinical correlation is advised.” Basically, this means that […]
The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) published its report on the Top 5 “Choosing Wisely” recommendations. The Choosing Wisely Campaign is a collaboration among neurology (and 15 other specialties), the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation, and Consumer Reports. The bottom line is that it seeks to identify wasteful or unnecessary tests, with the aim […]
