Study on Abnormal MRIs and the Risk of Developing Multiple Sclerosis Featured in the International Journal of MS Care

The Fall 2014 issue of the International Journal of MS Care (IJMSC), the leading peer-reviewed publication on multidisciplinary multiple sclerosis (MS) care and clinical research, features an article on "Longitudinal Follow-up of a Cohort of Patients with Incidental Abnormal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings at Presentation and Their Risk of Developing Multiple Sclerosis." This study by Mio Nakamura, BS, Mark Morris, BS, Mirela Cerghet, MD, PhD, Lonni Schultz, PhD, and Stanton Elias, MD, found that patients lacking symptoms and MRI findings suggestive of MS were not at risk of developing clinically definitive MS during follow-up. However, the presence of MRI lesions suggestive of MS at presentation, described in the literature as radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), increased the risk of developing MS later in life.

"Nakamura and colleagues followed 30 patients over an average period of 5 years, and assessed the predictive value of published MRI diagnostic criteria, clinical information, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis in 'real world' clinical practice," said Francois Bethoux, MD, Editor in Chief of IJMSC.

The study concluded that larger-scale studies of RIS are needed to determine additional specific characteristics that increase the risk of developing clinical
manifestations of MS in the future. These data will be valuable in helping to counsel patients, plan imaging follow-up, and identify treatment options.

The Fall issue of IJMSC also has a series of articles on the value of tests, treatments, and interventions in the comprehensive management of a progressive chronic disease, such as multiple sclerosis.

The high incidence and profound impact of walking limitations in MS are well documented, and efficacious interventions are still too few. "A Pooled Analysis of Two Phase 3 Clinical Trials of Dalfampridine in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis" by Andrew D. Goodman, MD, and colleagues and "Effect of a 2-Week Trial of Functional Electrical Stimulation on Gait Function and Quality of Life in People with Multiple Sclerosis" by Abbey Downing, CPO, and others both illustrate how the clinician's and the patient's perspective can be easily integrated in assessing treatment effects, and the same approach can be used routinely in the clinic.

"Clutter Management for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis" by J. Tamar Kalina, OTR/L, CCRC, MSCS, highlights why it is important for MS clinicians to provide an educational intervention to help patients manage clutter, a sometimes overlooked environmental barrier.

Psychological distress is a pervasive and impactful consequence of MS, and "A Systematic Review of Stress-Management Interventions for Multiple Sclerosis Patients" by Alison K. Reynard, PhD, and others presents an overview of stress-management
interventions that have demonstrated some efficacy in patients with MS, and also points out the need for further evidence in this area.

Two final articles in the IJMSC Fall issue present information on different
aspects of patient perception. A qualitative study in Denmark, "Exclusive Use of Alternative Medicine as a Positive Choice" by Lasse Skovgaard, MA, MA(Ed), and colleagues found that exclusive complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) users offer perspectives that are important to consider with regard to conventional versus alternative medicine as well as general interpretations of health and disease.

"Change in Perceived Health Insurance Coverage Among People with Multiple Sclerosis" authored by Alyssa Pozniak, PhD, and others, points out that individuals with MS who can choose between public and private insurance should consider the variability in premiums and coverage in the private insurance market, which are largely absent in public insurance programs.

Since January 2014, all articles published in IJMSC in the past three years have been accessible through various types of searches on PubMed Central (PMC), a free electronic archive of full-text biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the US National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NLM). Now each journal citation in PubMed also includes a prominent link to the original full-text version of the article at www.IJMSC.org.

"This new PMC functionality will bring more new visitors directly to the IJMSC site and will make all its citations, abstracts, and articles more discoverable to researchers and clinicians," added Dr. Bethoux. To view the Fall issue of IJMSC and past issues, visit www.IJMSC.org.

More information:
Annie Scully
CMSC
908-824-7938
annie.scully@mscare.org

Provided by The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers