International Journal of MS Care: July/August 2023 Highlights

IJMSC July/August 2023

The International Journal of MS Care is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary, open access journal and the official journal of the Consortium of MS Centers. The journal strives to be useful and pertinent to all who are part of an MS care team, including physicians, nurses, therapists, and more.

As part of NeurologyLive's ongoing partnership with the CMSC, we're happy to spotlight some of the latest peer-reviewed articles published in IJMSC.

Read summaries of the articles in our most recently published issue below and head to IJMSC.com for more.

And last but not least, late-breaking abstracts from the 2023 Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Annual Meeting are now available.

1. Epidemiological Insights on Medication Concurrency and Polypharmacy in People With Multiple Sclerosis in Greece

Bakirtzis, Nikolaidis, Bozikiow, et al

doi:10.7224/1537-2073.2022-046

As we age, we experience more health conditions and are prescribed more medications to treat them. This is doubly true for people with chronic illnesses like MS. Though the intent is to increase quality of life, the risks of polypharmacy are a concern. A review from Greece finds that polypharmacy affected approximately one-quarter of its cohort. The most common treated comorbidities for individuals with MS were mood disorders for those under 60 and hypertension for those 60 and above. As those with MS live longer, how to help them age well takes on more importance.

2. An Exploratory Study of Community Mobility in Adults With Multiple Sclerosis Across Different Ambulation Levels

Giroux, Sogoloff, Bergmans, Bae, VanNostrand, and Kasser

doi:10.7224/1537-2073.2022-042

How do individuals with mobility challenges get around your neighborhood? Community participation means navigating an environment that may not accommodate those with even mild gait impairment. Avoidance is a first sign of functional change. This study found that individuals with MS and differing levels of ambulation avoided some of the same tasks, such as crossing a busy street and walking while carrying objects, but that impairment affected avoidance.

3. Climate Change and the Urgent Need to Prepare Persons With Multiple Sclerosis for Extreme Hurricanes

Hsieh, Shultz, Briggs, Espinel, and Shapiro

doi:10.7224/1537-2073.2022-032

Do you have a go bag? With every area affected by natural disaster and with the increasing effects of climate change, it now seems that we all should. Individuals with MS and others with chronic illnesses have "unique challenges and vulnerabilities" and their clinicians are especially qualified to help them be prepared when the worst happens.

4. Rest-Activity Rhythm, Pain, and Motor Activity in Multiple Sclerosis

Scherder, van Dorp, Prins, et al

doi:10.7224/1537-2073.2021-030

"(Who needs sleep)
Well you're never gonna get it
(Who needs sleep)
Tell me what's that for." (BNL)

Sleep disturbances are reported by half or more individuals with MS. Using actigraphy, this study investigates the relationship between physical disability, pain, mood, and rest-activity rhythm.

5. Sacral Neuromodulation Therapy for Urinary and Fecal Incontinence in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: Report of 6 Cases and Literature Review

Thys and Sasse

doi:10.7224/1537-2073.2022-027

One of the 6 patients in this case study and accompanying literature review said that sacral neuromodulation therapy had given him back his life, improving his work life, his sex life, and his personal life. Urinary and fecal incontinence decimates quality of life. Insurance companies continue to deny SNM coverage for individuals with MS despite the accumulated literature on the technique.

6. Orchestrating a New Path for Multiple Sclerosis: Achieving Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Rehabilitation Goals Through Physical and Music Therapy

Weigel, Hutchinson, Magee, et al

doi:10.7224/1537-2073.2021-144

Quality of life, insurance struggles, early intervention, rehabilitation, telehealth, this study pulls together many of the consistent topics of concern for the MS community, patients and clinicians. Along with pharmacotherapies, emerging evidence shows that physical therapy and music therapy provide functional and psychosocial benefits to individuals with MS.

7. Dance for Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review

Davis, Webster, Whiteside, and Paul

doi:10.7224/1537-2073.2022-088

As seen in other neurological diseases, dance may be an effective and safe therapy for individuals with MS. Minimal adverse events, improvements in functional and psychosocial measures, and excellent adherence rates all work to make dance an attractive possibility for future research, especially into specific intervention structures and types of dance most appropriate for individuals with MS with varying levels of function. *Readers can earn CE credit with this article.