MS Brain Health Time Matters Update!

MS Brain Health Time Matters News:

Three new endorsements from national organizations: MS Australia, MS Ireland and MS Research Australia have now endorsed the report, in addition to 19 other organizations from around the world. In this month’s MS Brain Health Time Matters newsletter, they are reaching out to other national patient groups and professional societies and encouraging each one to use the report to bring about change.

About MS Brain Health Time Matters:

“The MS Brain Health initiative is calling for a radical change in the management of multiple sclerosis because time matters at every stage of diagnosis and treatment.”

This statement is to the point and quite profound.  From the time a individual is diagnosed with MS how both the global medical systems approach the disease to how it is monitored are really paramount.  Patients adopting changes in lifestyle towards long term best outcomes is equally as important.  This initiative is not based on anecdotal what if’s but instead real scientific evidence that has come forth in recent years.

The initiative emerged from a new evidence-based international consensus report that recommends a strategy to maximize lifelong ‘brain health’. The strategy includes early intervention, a clear treatment target, regular monitoring, improved access to disease-modifying therapies and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.  You can download the full report below.

The core recommendation of this report is that the goal of treating MS should be to preserve tissue in the central nervous system and maximize lifelong brain health by reducing disease activity.

The report calls for major policy changes aimed at achieving the best possible outcomes for people with MS and those who care for them.

MS Brain health: time matters in multiple sclerosis was developed by an international multidisciplinary group of experts under the chairmanship of Professor Gavin Giovannoni and has been endorsed by a number of professional associations and advocacy groups.

With research making new discoveries paired with what already is known it is important that care systems and individuals engage this initiative.

Spread the Word:

If you have links with local professional or advocacy organizations that are not yet aware of the MS Brain Health report or have not signalled their support for the MS Brain Health recommendations, please bring the initiative to their attention. Could your local group include the evidence-based MS Brain Health materials in awareness-raising activities? For example, you may want to use chapter 2, ‘Speed up referral and diagnosis’, to encourage the general public to act promptly if early symptoms of MS develop. Let us know how we can best engage with your local group and work effectively together to bring about change.

Report Translation:

To extend the reach of the MS Brain Health recommendations, we plan to translate our key resources into other languages. A French translation of the executive summary and recommendations is now available; please let us know which other languages you would like us to prioritize.

Please continue to spread the word that time matters in MS.

• Forward this newsletter: if you have friends or colleagues who might be interested in our activities, please encourage them to get involved.
• Follow us on Twitter @MSBrainHealth: find out about MS Brain Health news as it happens with our Twitter updates, and retweet to keep your followers up to date.

Thank you for being part of the MS Brain Health initiative!

Gavin Giovannoni, MD
Professor of Neurology and Chair of the MS Brain Health Steering Committee

On behalf of the MS Brain Health Steering Committee: Gavin Giovannoni, Peer Baneke, Helmut Butzkueven, Giancarlo Comi, Kathleen Costello, Jeremy Hobart, Gisela Kobelt and Christoph Thalheim

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