Early use of high-efficacy therapies in multiple sclerosis in the United States: benefits, barriers, and strategies for encouraging adoption.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by progressive neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration from disease onset that, if left untreated, can result in the accumulation of irreversible neurological disability. Early intervention with high-efficacy therapies (HETs) is increasingly recognized as the best strategy to delay or mitigate disease progression from the earliest stages of the disease and to prevent long-term neurodegeneration. Although there is growing clinical and real-world evidence supporting early HET intervention, foregoing this strategy in favor of a traditional escalation approach prioritizing lower-efficacy disease-modifying therapies remains a common approach in clinical practice.

Hypertension and hypertension severity in Hispanics/Latinx with MS.

Background: Vascular comorbidities (VCs) including hypertension (HTN) are associated with worse multiple sclerosis (MS) outcomes. HTN is common in Latinx, but the prevalence and relationship with disability are unknown in Latinx with MS.

Methods: Latinx ( = 451) from the Alliance for Research in Hispanic MS (ARHMS) seen between 2007 and 2019 were included.

Effectiveness of film as a health communication tool to improve perceptions and attitudes in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Health communication tools like film are capable of reducing health disparities and could be effective in addressing negative illness perceptions of MS in Hispanics/Latinx.

Objective: To test the feasibility of using a culturally appropriate short narrative film to examine illness perceptions overtime and attitudes in Hispanics/Latinx affected with MS.

Methods: Participants were assigned to view a short narrative film (n = 130) or not (n = 106).

Neuromyelitis optica testing and treatment: Availability and affordability in 60 countries.

Background: We characterize the variations in availability and affordability of NMO diagnostic testing and treatment by geographic region and country-level income group.

Methods: A structured survey was distributed in English, French, and Spanish in late 2018 to neurologists and other physicians who encounter NMO patients.

Results: Respondents (response rate 45%, 64/143 countries contacted) came from all WHO world regions and World Bank country income levels (49% university-based; 13 low-, 16 lower middle-, 16 upper-middle-, and 15 high-income countries).

Patients' and caregivers' experiences of the impact of Parkinson's disease on health status.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that significantly affects patients' quality of life. The myriad complexities of the disease, including its nonmotor manifestations, are beginning to be more fully appreciated, particularly in regard to the emotional and social effects of PD. Considering that both motor and nonmotor manifestations of PD significantly influence the health outcomes and conditions of patients, and their health-related quality of life (HRQOL), we collected qualitative data from patients with PD, as well as caregivers of persons with PD having cognitive impairment, to assess their perceptions of the impact of PD on HRQOL.