ALL
ALL RIGHT. WELCOME BACK MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, OR MS IS A
DEBILITATING DISEASE WHERE A
PERSON'S IMMUNE SYSTEM ATTACKS
NERVE CELLS IN THE BRAIN. AND
HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IF YOU OR A
LOVED ONE HAD IT AND HOW IS
DIAGNOSED AS DIFFERENT IN
MINORITY POPULATION TO FIND OUT?
WE'RE JOINED BY NEUROLOGIST DR
TONY DAY, MARK KATA. I HOPE I
GOT YOUR LAST NAME, RIGHT? I'M
SO WORRIED THAT I'M GOING TO
SCREW IT UP. THE MEDICAL DOCTOR,
THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF HARTFORD
HEALTHCARE'S CHASE FAMILY
MOVEMENT DISORDERS. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR JOINING US. YES GOOD
MORNING. IT'S CARD. GOOD MORNING
, NICOLE. IT'S A PLEASURE TO SEE
YOU. FIRST OF ALL, CAN YOU
DESCRIBE TO OUR VIEWERS M S AND
THE PROCESS AND HOW IT STARTS
AND THE PROCESS THAT TAKES. YES
I THINK THAT THE ATTENTION ON
MULTIPLE SCROLLS THIS WAS RAISED
BY THE CELEBRITY SELMA AND
CHRISTINA WHEN THEY RECOGNIZED
THAT THEY HAD THE DISEASE AND
ANNOUNCED IT TO THE WORLD. M S
IS A NEUROLOGIC CONDITION THAT
IS CAUSED BY LOSS OF THE NERVE
SHEETS WITHIN THE BRAIN AND THE
NERVES THAT WILL COST SYMPTOMS
LIKE, UM, STIFFNESS OF THE
MUSCLES, PARALYSIS OF THE LIMB
LOSS OF VISION IN ONE EYE,
SLURRING OF SPEECH, AND, OF
COURSE, SOME COGNITIVE
IMPAIRMENT. USUALLY THIS WOULD
COME AND GO. SO WE HAVE
RELAPSING REMITTING MULTIPLE
SCLEROSIS SYMPTOMS PRESENT AND
THEN THEY WOULD GO AWAY. BUT FOR
SOMETHING FOR SOME PEOPLE, THE
SYMPTOMS JUST KEEP GOING. AND IS
THIS A GENETIC THING? OR CAN
ANYONE REALLY GET THIS? THERE IS
A GENETIC PREDISPOSITION, BUT IT
REALLY CAN OCCUR IN ANYONE MOST
COMMONLY AND WOMEN MOST COMMONLY
AND THAT YOUNGER AGE GROUP
THIRTIES TO FIFTIES ARE MINORITY
POPULATIONS MORE AT RISK FOR
THIS, OR THEY'RE JUST
UNDIAGNOSED. CAN YOU TALK TO US
MORE ABOUT THAT? THANK YOU FOR
ASKING ABOUT THAT. THAT IS THE
REASON WHY I AM REACHING OUT TO
YOU AND TO THE BLACK AND AFRICAN
AMERICAN COMMUNITY. HISTORICALLY
WE USED TO THINK THAT AMS WAS
LESS COMING IN BLACK AND AFRICAN
AMERICANS. NOW WE RECOGNIZE THAT
IT IS ACTUALLY MORE COMMON IN
PEOPLE OF COLOR THAN WE
INITIALLY THOUGHT. FURTHERMORE,
IN BLACK AND AFRICAN AMERICANS,
THE DISEASE STANDS TO BE MORE
AGGRESSIVE DIAGNOSIS TENDS TO BE
LATER AND THEY ARE LESS LIKELY
TO RECEIVE TREATMENT. SO THESE
ARE THE RACIAL DISPARITIES THAT
WE APART FROM HEALTHCARE'S IRON
NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE ARE
HOPING TO ADDRESS AND DR
DEMOCRAT ADA. HOW IS HARTFORD
HEALTHCARE TRYING TO ADDRESS
THIS DISPARITY? WHAT ARE YOU
GUYS DOING? WE HAVE A SERIES OF
LECTURES THAT STARTED IN OCTOBER
. IT'S CALLED THE HEALTHY BRAIN
SERIES FOR BLACK AND AFRICAN
AMERICANS OCCURRING EVERY MONTH
ON THE FIRST THURSDAY EVENING AT
THE FIRST CATHEDRAL IN THIS
EMBER, WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND THE BLACK
AND AFRICAN AMERICAN. POPULATION
TREATMENT OPTIONS SYMPTOMS WITH
RMS SPECIALIST DR BRIAN WONG, IN
ADDITION TO THE LECTURE SERIES,
WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO
IS FOSTER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
BLACK AND AFRICAN AMERICAN
COMMUNITY OF CONNECTICUT. FROM
THEIR TRUST AND EXHIBIT CULTURAL
SENSITIVITY FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
WE WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT WE ARE
HERE THAT WE ARE INSTRUMENTS FOR
THEIR HEALING, AND IT'S NOT JUST
LEARNING ABOUT THESE
NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS THAT WE
WANT TO CONVEY, BUT WE WANT TO
GIVE THEM A FORUM IN WHICH THEY
CAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH
NEUROLOGY SUB SPECIALISTS IN
VARIOUS NEUROLOGICAL FIELDS. SO
THAT THEY CAN TELL US ABOUT
THEIR CONCERNS. THEY COULD ASK
US QUESTIONS ABOUT NEUROLOGICAL
SYMPTOMS AND IF APPROPRIATE, WE
CAN NAVIGATE THEIR ACCESS INTO
NEUROLOGY CARE. BECAUSE BLACK
AND AFRICAN AMERICANS WITH
NEUROLOGIC CONDITIONS ARE LESS
LIKELY TO SEE SPECIALISTS LESS
LIKELY TO RECEIVE MEDICATION
LESS LIKELY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
ADVANCED TREATMENTS DIFFERENCE.
WELL WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE,
BUT WE CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH
FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND FOR
BRINGING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION.
ADVANCED HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO
YOU BOTH. THANK YOU FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY. HAPPY THANKSGIVING
. ALL RIGHT LIKE THE DOCTOR SAID
THE SEMINAR IS HE THIRD OF SIX
FREE EVENTS AND THE HEALTHY
BRAIN SERIES FOR BLACK AND
AFRICAN AMERICANS. IT WILL BE
DECEMBER 1ST AT THE FIRST
CATHEDRAL THAT'S IN BLOOMFIELD
TALK