#ACTRIMS2019 – Stem Cell Tourism Poses Threat of Complications for Patients, First US …

Academic neurologists are seeing many patients with neurological diseases interested in or receiving unapproved stem cell-based treatments, sometimes with negative health and/or financial consequences, according to a U.S. survey of neurologists.

The data were reported by Wijdan Rai, MD, from Ohio State University in a poster titled “Complications of Stem Cell Tourism in Multiple Sclerosis & Other Neurological Diseases: Results from First Nationwide Survey of Academic Neurologists” on March 1 at the 4th Annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum in Dallas, Texas.

“Stem cell tourism” is a blanket term used to describe clinics (in the U.S. or abroad) that offer unproven cell-based interventions to patients with debilitating diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The phenomenon of stem cell tourism is rising among patients with neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS).

According to Rai, “an alarming number of stem cell clinics have been accessible to patients, and the need for education has been identified.”

Academic neurologists often see patients with complications due to stem cell tourism. But, “the experiences and challenges that neurologists face in the outpatient practices is unknown,” Rai said.

Understanding the experiences of neurologists with patients of stem cell tourism is critical to develop a strategy to educate patients about it. In fact, “a fair amount of neurologists had said that they would find really helpful to have some sort of educational tool, because they were not prepared to answer certain questions” about stem cell tourism and its complications, said Rai.

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