At this moment, there are over 400,000 Americans dealing with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS isn’t something that people are typically born with, rather it usually appears between the age of 20 and 40. Since MS is a Neurological disease that attacks the central nervous system, affects can range from partial blindness to full paralysis. Currently, there is no cure.
There is, however, new found hope.
An Unexpected Solution
For the past few decades, Dimethyl fumarate is a compound that has served two purposes. One of those purposes is treating psoriasis. The other is to prevent mold in furniture.
Almost ironically, this second use has caused skin breakouts and eczema to many people in the past.
But recently, this compound has been wielded for another task: treating Multiple Sclerosis.
Dimethyl fumarate (going under the name BG-12) has been undergoing test groups for a while now in New England. Among people with “Relapsing Remitting” MS, the results have been promises.
A large portion of subjects showed dramatic decreases in relapses and flair-ups. Another plus to the drug is that it’s taken orally rather than through injections like most MS treatments.
While nearly 40{4484a610ba12ad46baec767347073917e486819a83b2d744ced0feda89144e79} suffered side effects, it generally consisted of minor nausea and abdominal pain. The biggest concern right now is how the drug will measure up in the long run. Short term treatments have yielded some fantastic results, but only time will tell how effective BG-12 ultimately is.
Another issue is the simple fact that BG-12 has not yet been cleared for public distribution. Researches behind the drug however are quite hopeful.
More on MS and Relapsing Remitting
As stated above, BG-12 is currently only yielding results for relapsing-remitting MS. People suffering from this type of MS experience unpredictable relapses mixed in with periods of remission. Approximately 80{4484a610ba12ad46baec767347073917e486819a83b2d744ced0feda89144e79} of people who start with MS initially experience this form.
While MS isn’t considered fatal, people who have it are estimated to live shorter lives. The majority lose the ability to walk in their later years. Woman are three times as likely to be diagnosed. Famous people who currently have MS include Jack Osborne (son of rock legend Ozzie Osborne) and Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann.