Aging and Multiple Sclerosis

Our immune systems become less robust as we age. With an autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis, a weakened immune system can lead to less relapses and active MRI lesions. However, many people living with multiple sclerosis develop progressive disease with worsening physical and cognitive disability as they age. Strategies to live better with MS as one grows older are shared. The vast majority of treatments for multiple sclerosis have been studied in people 55 years of age or younger. However, 46% of people living with MS are older than age 55. New studies are answering important questions about MS treatment in older patients. At what age can treatment safely be stopped without risk of relapse or worsening disability? Safety concerns such as serious infections, cancer risk, and immunization responsiveness in older MS patients on immunosuppressive treatments are addressed. Barry Singer MD, director of The MS Center for Innovations in Care, interviews: Bianca Weinstock-Guttman MD, Professor of Neurology at the Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in Buffalo, New York, and the Director of the Jacobs MS Center for Treatment and Research. John Corboy MD, Professor of Neurology at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Rocky Mountain MS Center.