May 28, 2024
Almost half of all people living with MS today are 55 years of age or older, and more people are getting diagnosed with MS at later ages than ever before. Yet relatively little is known about how aging impacts MS disease activity, or when it is appropriate to stop taking disease-modifying therapies. It is also difficult to separate changes that can be blamed on MS versus changes that can be blamed on aging.This issue — aging and MS — was the focus of a scientific workshop held in Philadelphia in late April. The workshop was convened by the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials, which is jointly sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and ECTRIMS and. The goal was to review what’s currently known and to consider next steps for focusing on this topic in research and clinical care. And importantly, to make inroads toward promoting healthy aging and address issues that are most important to people with MS for maintaining quality of life.Planning Committee members* and others led discussions and are working toward publishing recommendations for raising awareness and moving this work forward in the global MS community.
- ECTRIMS held a webinar featuring summary comments from some participants of the workshop, which can be replayed on demand with free registration.
- Anyone can listen to podcast episodes featuring interviews with workshop speakers at RealTalk MS.
Takeaways
Workshop presentations and discussions made it clear that more research is needed to understand what happens in the body and brain with age and how to best manage MS in aging individuals. Key questions remain, such as:
- Why does the onset of MS progression often line up with getting older?
- To what extent do older people respond differently to MS disease-modifying therapies?
- When can an older person safely get off their therapy?
- How can older people be included in clinical trials to better understand risks and benefits of therapies and rehabilitation for this age group?
But while there is not much we can do about growing older, science suggests some ways to slow the clock:
- Preventing or treating comorbidities – which are other disorders that often arise with aging – may help reduce progressive disability.
- Exercise, physical activity and rehabilitation have been found to protect the body and brain.
- Building brain reserve, such as with education, life experiences and brain games, may protect against ongoing nerve damage.
- Fasting, or drugs that mimic fasting’s effects on the body, may protect against premature aging.
Highlights
Everyone is aging – people with MS may be doing it faster
CLICK here to continue reading this article, written by The National MS Society
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