SO WHAT ARE THEY? ARE MORNING AN IN-HOUSE REPORTER KIRSTIN O’CONNER IS
STANDING BY NOW TO ASK A
DOCTOR.
>> MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AFFECTS
AS MANY AS 1 MILLION PEOPLE IN
THE UNITED STATES.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE ONLY HAVE ONE
OR TWO SYMPTOMS AND OTHER TIMES
THE PATIENT MAY HAVE MANY
MAKING IT DIFFICULT SOMETIMES
TO DETECT AND NO ONE TO TALK TO
YOUR DOCTOR.
SO NEUROLOGIST IN GUTIERREZ
JOINS US NOW TO GET SOME OF
THOSE ANSWERS.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> THIS IT IS IMPORTANT MONTH
EXIT IS MS AWARENESS MONTH SO
WE DO A LOT OF ACTIVITIES AND
BIKE RIDES AND THERE’S AN MS
WALK LATER IN THE MONTH TO
BRING AWARENESS TO THIS DISEASE
AND TO INFORM PEOPLE AND TO
RAISE RESEARCH DOLLARS.
>> AND I WAS TELLING YOU DOCTOR
GUTIERREZ NEVER FRONT MY AGE
WAS DIAGNOSED AT A VERY YOUNG
AGE WHEN SHE WAS IN HER EARLY
20S.
AND I WAS SO SURPRISED.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS
THAT SOMEBODY WOULD NEED TO
LOOK OUT FOR IN ORDER TO GET
TESTED WORKS YES, AS YOU
MENTIONED WOMEN ARE MORE
COMMONLY AFFECTED THAN MEN IN
THE MEAN AGE IS ABOUT 20 TO 30
SO YOUR FRIEND WAS RIGHT
UNFORTUNATELY IN THAT AREA OF
HIGH RISK.
THE SYMPTOMS OF MS CAN BE VERY
VAGUE AND SO THAT IS WHY A LOT
OF TIMES IT TAKES A WHILE
BEFORE PEOPLE ARE FINALLY
DIAGNOSED.
THERE ARE JUST FEW PARTICULAR
SYMPTOMS THAT ARE VERY, VERY
FOR MS. AND THAT IS OPTIC
NEURITIS WHICH IS A LOSS OF
CENTRAL VISION.
VERY STRIKING AND PEOPLE GO TO
THEIR DOCTORS WHEN THAT HAPPENS
AND YOU WAKE UP AND YOU CANNOT
SEE IT IS LIKE SOMEONE TOOK A
PUNCH HOLE OUT OF YOUR VISUAL
FIELD OR TRANSVERSE MYELITIS
WHEN YOU GO NUMB FROM THE WAIST
DOWN.
THOSE TWO SYMPTOMS ARE VERY
CARDINAL OR DOUBLE BUDGET.
OTHER THAN THAT THERE ARE VAGUE
SYMPTOMS LIKE FATIGUE OR
NUMBNESS OR TINGLING THAT COMES
AND GOES SO THE SYMPTOMS CAN BE
SO VAGUE THAT SOMETIMES IT
TAKES A WHILE TO GET DIAGNOSED.
>> AND YOU MENTIONED THAT ANGEL
RAGE IN YOUR 20S AND 30S IS
WHEN YOU SEE THIS TYPE OF
DIAGNOSIS POST DOES IT
SOMETIMES TAKE SEVERAL YEARS
FOR SOMEONE WHO IS EXPERIENCING
LET’S SAY FATIGUE TO EVEN GO IN
AND ASK FOR INITIAL TEST.
>> IT DOES.
BUT LUCKILY, THE MAIN TEST THAT
WE USE IS THE MRI.
SO THE MRIS ARE VERY SENSITIVE
FOR PICKING UP MS LESIONS.
AN MS LESIONS ARE FOUND ON THE
BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD AND THE
OPTIC NERVES.
SO FOR YOU TO HAVE THE
DIAGNOSIS OF MS IT IS NOT BASED
ON SYMPTOMS BUT BASED ON MRI
FINDINGS.
>> WHAT IS THE TREATMENT LIGHT.
I’M SURE THE SYMPTOMS AND THE
EFFECTS OF THE SYMPTOMS CAN
VARY QUITE SURE.
>> WE HAVE KNOWN ABOUT MS SINCE
THE 1600S.
IT IS AN OLD DISEASE.
BUT NOT UNTIL 1993 DID WE GET
OUR FIRST TREATMENTS.
AND SINCE THEN THE RESEARCH HAS
REALLY BEEN PHENOMENAL.
WE HAVE NOW OVER 16 DIFFERENT
TYPES OF TREATMENT AND OUR MAIN
GOAL AT THIS POINT IS TO STOP
DISEASE PROGRESSION.
AND THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
KEY IS TO STOP AND PREVENT THE
DISEASE FROM CONTINUING TO
ATTACK YOUR GRAIN AND YOUR
SPINAL CORD.
TWO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT ORGANS
THAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO
FUNCTION HEALTHY AND TO BE ABLE
TO FUNCTION HEALTHY FOR AS LONG
AS YOU’RE ALIVE.
>> IN ORLANDO, WHITE TYPES OF
RESEARCH IS GOING ON IN OTHER
CLINICAL TRIALS PEOPLE CAN BE A
PART OF?
>> AND NUMBER OF POLITICAL
TRIALS GOING ON AND PEOPLE CAN
UNVEIL THEM WITH THAT BUT A
NUMBER OF MS TREATMENTS THAT WE
HAVE AVAILABLE.
IN THIS DISEASE PROCESS IS A
KNOWLEDGE BASE IS CHANGING SO
RAPIDLY BUT I WOULD CAUTION
PATIENTS WHEN THEY ARE READING
ABOUT MS TO LOOK AT ONE WHO IS
PUBLISHED WHAT YOU’RE READING
AND IS A PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL
AND HAVE RECENTLY WAS IT
PUBLISHED BECAUSE JUST THE
RESEARCH IS CHANGING SO RAPIDLY
THAT SOMETHING THAT WAS
PUBLISHED LAST YEAR MAY NO
LONGER BE PERTINENT.
>> THAT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE.
ALSO FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE
DIAGNOSED AS EARLY AS IN THEIR
20S WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR
THEM LIFELONG?
>> THAT IS THE MAIN GOAL.
SO WE NOW TRADITIONALLY WITHOUT
TREATMENT THAT PATIENTS CAN
SUFFER SIGNIFICANT DISABILITY.
10 TO 20 YEARS AFTER THE
DIAGNOSIS.
SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS GET ON
TREATMENT AND PREVENT THAT FROM
HAPPENING.
SO I ALWAYS SAY IT IS A LONG
GAME WE ARE IN HERE.
NOT THE SHORT SPRING.
WE WANT YOU TO DO WELL IN THE
LONG RUN AND WHEN YOU ARE 50
AND 60 AND BE ABLE TO ENJOY
YOUR LIFE PRODUCTIVELY.
>> IS IT SOMETHING THAT COULD
PREVENT SOMEBODY FROM HAVING
CHILDREN?
>> NOT NECESSARILY EXCEPT FOR
IF YOU GET SO DISABLED THAT YOU
ARE IN A WHEELCHAIR IT BECOMES
HARDER FEET TO HAVE A CHILD.
>> BUT THESE TREATMENT OPTIONS
ARE DOING ENOUGH TO WHERE MANY
PEOPLE ARE NOT IN A WHEELCHAIR.
>> YES, THEY ARE MAKING A WORLD
OF DIFFERENCE FOR PATIENTS,