Preventing disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) is a priority for everyone affected by the condition. Research indicates that a combination of medication, diet, and lifestyle changes can help reduce the risk of disability for those living with MS. In this video, I share findings from this research and discuss strategies that can help lower the risk of developing disabilities associated with multiple sclerosis.
This is a video about MY signs and symptoms that I had Multiple Sclerosis or MS, if you have any or all of these symptoms it absolutely does not mean that you definitely have MS, please consult your doctor if you suspect you have MS.
This video discusses my personal signs and symptoms related to Multiple Sclerosis (MS). If you experience any or all of these symptoms, it does not necessarily mean you have MS. Please consult your doctor if you suspect you may have this condition.This video discusses my personal signs and symptoms related to Multiple Sclerosis (MS). If you experience any or all of these symptoms, it does not necessarily mean you have MS. Please consult your doctor if you suspect you may have this condition.
Spasticity in MS
What is Ataxia, and why does it affect folks with multiple sclerosis?
Check out another brilliant video from Dulci Hill on multiple sclerosis. Please check out her videos below!
We have covered the area of ataxia before. Please have a look at it here.
In the present study, 2,513 children from the University of Bristol’s Children of the 90s cohort were tracked from age 11 to 24. At the beginning of the study, the children spent an average of six hours per day being sedentary, six hours engaged in light physical activity (LPA), and approximately 55 minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). By the time they reached young adulthood, their daily habits had changed significantly: they spent nine hours per day sedentary, three hours per day in LPA, and about 50 minutes per day in MVPA.
The average blood pressure in childhood was 106/56 mmHg, which increased to 117/67 mmHg in young adulthood, partly due to normal physiological development. A persistent increase in sedentary time from ages 11 to 24 was associated with an average increase of 4 mmHg in systolic blood pressure. Engaging in light physical activity (LPA) from childhood helped to reduce the final blood pressure level by 3 mmHg; however, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) did not have any effect on lowering blood pressure.
“Moreover, a simulation model indicates that replacing just 10 minutes of sedentary time each hour with an equal amount of light physical activity (LPA) from childhood through young adulthood can lead to a decrease in blood pressure. Specifically, systolic blood pressure could drop by 3 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 2 mmHg. This finding is significant because research has shown that a reduction of 5 mmHg in systolic blood pressure can lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes by ten percent,” explains Andrew Agbaje, an award-winning physician and associate professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Child Health at the University of Eastern Finland.
The current study is the largest and the most extended follow-up of accelerometer-measured movement behaviour and blood pressure progression in youth worldwide. Blood pressure measurements, sedentary time, LPA, and MVPA were taken at the ages of 11, 15, and 24. The children’s fasting blood samples were also repeatedly measured for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Heart rate, socio-economic status, family history of cardiovascular disease, smoking status as well as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measured fat mass and lean mass were accounted for in the analyses.
“We have earlier shown that elevated blood pressure and hypertension in adolescence increase the risk of premature cardiac damage in young adulthood. The identification of childhood sedentariness as a potential cause of elevated blood pressure and hypertension with LPA as an effective antidote is of clinical and public health significance. Several MVPA-based randomised controlled trials in the young population have not lowered blood pressure. We noted an MVPA-induced increase in muscle mass enhanced by a physiologic increase in blood pressure, explaining why earlier MVPA-based randomised clinical trials were unsuccessful,” says Agbaje.
“The World Health Organization estimates that 500 million new cases of physical inactivity-related non-communicable diseases would occur by 2030 and half would result from hypertension. At least three hours of LPA daily is critical to preventing and reversing elevated blood pressure and hypertension. LPA includes long walks, house chores, swimming, and bicycling. We all, parents, paediatricians and policymakers included, should encourage children and adolescents to participate in LPA to keep their blood pressure healthy,” Agbaje concludes.
Recent research conducted by Drexel University’s A.J. Drexel Autism Institute has shown that implementing standardized autism screening during pediatric well-child visits allows for the identification of more children with a high likelihood of autism at an earlier age, including those who exhibit more subtle symptoms. This study is the first large-scale, randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of standardized autism screening in enhancing early detection of autism within pediatric primary care settings.
Usual care is generally a combination of non-standardized or low-fidelity screening (meaning that clinicians did not use the screening tool as intended) and clinical judgment to determine whether to refer a child for diagnostic evaluation and early intervention.
In the study, 31 pediatric practices across three sites near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Storrs, Connecticut; and Sacramento, California, were randomly assigned to an experimental condition involving training and supervision in the universal, standardized, high-fidelity use of M-CHAT-R/F or to usual care.
Pediatric practices in both groups referred toddlers who showed signs of autism during 18-month well-child visits to the research team for a diagnostic evaluation.
“We found that the practices randomly assigned to standardized screening — meaning the screener was administered and scored the same way for every child — identified children with a high likelihood of autism more frequently and more timely compared to practices in the usual care group,” said Giacomo Vivanti, PhD, an associate professor in the Autism Institute and lead author of the study. “This resulted in 186 children referred to a diagnostic evaluation — and their average age was 20.6 months, compared to 39 children with an average age of 23.6 months referred by practices in the usual care group.”
The research team found that most of the children who attended the evaluation in both conditions received a diagnosis of autism. Children referred by practices that used standardized autism screening had a wider range of clinical presentations, including milder manifestations in areas like language and cognition, compared to those referred from usual care practices – indicating that using the screening may counteract the tendency to refer only children with more apparent impairments.
The study results indicate that routine, standardized screening for all children at toddler well visits, coupled with immediate referrals for diagnosis for those showing the likelihood of autism during the screening, is superior to relying on non-standardized use of screeners or clinicians’ judgment for identifying children with autism.
“The earlier identification of autism allows for autism-specific early intervention at a younger age, which improves outcomes across the rest of their lives,” said Diana Robins, PhD, the director of the Autism Institute and creator of the M-CHAT-R/F, who was the principal investigator in the study.
The research team envisions that policies and guidelines align to support routine, standardized autism screening for all children at toddler well visits.
“Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has been recommending universal, standardized autism screening at 18- and 24-month well-child visits for nearly 20 years, it is clear that community implementation lags behind best practices,” said Vivanti and Robins.
They added that they hope these findings will emphasize the need to administer, score, and follow screeners’ recommended actions according to their instructions rather than using screeners in non-standardized ways or relying on clinical judgment to determine whether or not to refer toddlers for autism evaluations and early intervention, effectively overriding when a screener indicates that referrals are needed.