142: World MS Day: Raising Awareness, Evolving Care, and Empowering Patients

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.In this episode, "World MS Day: Raising Awareness, Evolving Care, and Empowering Patients," Taylor Hess, MD, a multiple sclerosis specialist at the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders (MIND), shares insights in recognition of World MS Day. She reflects on the importance of raising global awareness for MS, the need for equitable care, and the evolving focus of research and treatment. Dr. Hess discusses underrecognized symptoms like fatigue and cognitive dysfunction, and emphasizes the value of the upcoming diagnostic criteria update in enabling earlier intervention. She highlights key research priorities—including progressive MS, symptom management, and remyelination—and speaks to the importance of holistic, lifestyle-informed care. Finally, she shares advice for clinicians on how to communicate a new MS diagnosis with empathy, clarity, and empowerment.Looking for more multiple sclerosis discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® Multiple sclerosis clinical focus page.Episode Breakdown: 1:00 – Significance of World MS Day and the importance of global MS awareness 2:05– Commonly recognized vs overlooked MS symptoms in patient care 3:10 – Transitioning to updated MS diagnostic criteria and the need for global provider education 4:15 – Neurology News Minute 6:30 – Research priorities: progressive MS, symptom management, and remyelination strategies 7:35 – The role of lifestyle, risk factor control, and holistic care in MS management 8:50 – Communicating MS diagnosis with empathy, support, and resource guidance The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here: FDA Approves First Autoinjector Form of DHE for Acute Migraine and Cluster Headache FDA Clears Lumipulse Plasma Ratio as First Blood Test for Diagnosing Alzheimer Disease Once-Daily Oral Pill for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Shows Promising Phase 3 Results, Paving Way for FDA Submission Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.