Understanding MS Begins With the Words We Choose
Relapsing-Remitting With No Remission
Developing New Course Descriptors
Benefits of Changing the Course Descriptors of MS
There are multiple ways that new course descriptors can benefit us all. For one thing, I think people with MS need validation. Whatever we call their current state of MS should actually reflect what they are feeling.The second thing, and perhaps the most important thing, is expanding how we treat MS. Right now, we essentially have two main buckets of MS. But the reality is that there are many underlying mechanisms of MS.Going forward, we can think about a day when we can classify MS based on multiple features, and perhaps we’ll have tools for treating every single one of those features.And when I talk about treatment, I don’t think only about disease modifying therapies. We’re talking about strategies on how to improve the quality of life for people with MS, from medication and rehabilitation to psychology, environment, socio-economic factors and comorbidities.In general – and you might detect a bit of a theme here – we're thinking about MS in a broader sense, from different angles.I think that makes the task of creating new course descriptors a little complex and difficult for us. But if we put our heads together with different stakeholders, we can get a much fuller understanding of what MS is.
