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A new study finds estrogen could aid in therapies for progressive multiple sclerosis.<\/p>\n
About 100,000 of the estimated million people in the United States with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a progressive form of the disease, with symptoms that worsen continuously or after periods of remission.<\/p>\n
\u201cProgressive MS is profoundly challenging because it is relentless and treatment options are limited,\u201d says Francisco P. Gomez, a neurologist from Texas A&M University who specializes in MS and neuroimmunology.<\/p>\n
MS is believed to occur when the immune system attacks the myelin sheath\u2014the protective coating of the nerve fibers that transmit electrical impulses throughout the body\u2014and disrupt this communication. The disease occurs more often in women, older people, and those in northern latitudes.<\/p>\n
Symptoms include fatigue, numbness or tingling, bladder and bowel problems, and cognitive issues, but difficulty walking and balancing are the most common symptoms\u2014and these are more pronounced in the progressive form of the disease. In addition, the progressive form is more prevalent among Black patients.<\/p>\n
Now, Gomez and colleagues with the Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) have identified two estrogens that show promise in reducing the symptoms of progressive MS: estradiol and estriol.<\/p>\n
For their study in the Journal of Neuroimmunology<\/a>\u00a0the team evaluated estriol and estradiol as possible treatment protocols through a study that used a virus to mimic progressive MS.<\/p>\n