MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Treatment with Stem Cells
With Stem Cell Therapy, the progression of the disease is greatly inhibited in MS (Multiple Sclerosis) patients and the existing situation of the patient is improved to a much better level. Stem cell therapy prevents autoimmune inflammation in the brain and repairs damaged brain and spine cells. Patients receiving this treatment at the beginning of the disease may return to their jobs.
- The plaques that formed in MS begin to disappear with stem cell therapy, which is also revealed by MR images. On the other hand, stem cell therapy slows the progression of the disease because it strengthens the body's defense system.
- Improvements such as stabilization of the patient's condition, decrease in the progression of the disease, shortening the duration of the periods in which the disease is aggravated, improvement in the psychology, emotions and comprehension of the patient, strengthening of immunity and increased quality of life are observed as the results of the treatment.
- The number of cells to be administered is determined according to the age and weight of the patient. The treatment is performed in 3 sessions 45 days apart or in 3 consecutive days.
- The size of the administered stem cells is small enough to pass through the brain cells. Therefore, the success rate of the treatment increases significantly in early diagnosis.
What is MS?
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that attacks the central nervous system and affects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. It is most common among adults aged between 20 and 40 years and may also affect children and older people. It is the second most common cause of neurological disability in young people. It usually begins with recurrent attacks. These attacks last for a few weeks in general and can resolve to a large extent or completely spontaneously or with medication treatment. In some cases, attacks may not fully resolve and may cause permanent neurological findings. In some cases, neurological findings may show a slow progressive course.
What are the symptoms of MS?
The symptoms of MS may vary depending on the type of disease and the individual. They may also vary depending on the affected nerves and the extent of the damage. People with MS may experience any of the symptoms of the disease with attacks and improvements, or with a slowly worsening course.
- Numbness, tingling, pins and needles, electrification
- Dizziness
- Loss of strength, spasm, muscle stiffness, cramps, pain
- Vision loss, double vision
- Excretory function problems
- Speech disorder
- Sexual dysfunction
- Loss of balance, inability to walk properly
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Memory loss, depression, cognitive difficulties
- Dysphagia
Causes of MS
Although the fact or facts causing multiple sclerosis is not known, it is thought to be an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. In MS, this process damages myelin, which is a substance that protects and covers the nerve wires in the brain and spinal cord. When the myelin is damaged, the messages transmitted along the nerves can be slowed down or blocked.
Although the world of medicine has not yet clearly understood why multiple sclerosis is seen in some people and not in others, it is thought that various factors, from genetic factors to childhood infections, play a role.
Treatment of MS
Today, although there is no definitive treatment of multiple sclerosis, it is possible to eliminate the neurological findings associated with the attack, prevent attacks, and permanent neurological findings.
Steroid (cortisone) treatment is the main agent used in the elimination of neurological findings emerging with the attacks. Although it can be administered by various routes of administration, the most common mode of administration is intravenous high-dose sequential or intermittent administration. More often than not, complete or almost complete recovery is observed with this treatment.
An alternative treatment is plasmapheresis (removal of certain antibodies in the blood from the circulation by plasma filtration) if the attack findings do not show adequate improvement despite steroid treatment. With this treatment, antibodies causing the disease are removed from the body and recovery is achieved.
Today, one of the most successful points in the treatment of MS is preventive treatment. The aim is to prevent the development of neurological disability before it settles and accumulates. Attacks are prevented completely in 30-40% of patients, and the frequency and severity of attacks are decreased in the other 30%.
Treatment of MS with Stem Cells
It is not possible to say that stem cell therapy completely treats the disease. However, the plaques that formed in MS begin to disappear with the treatment, which is also revealed by MR images. With the disappearance of the plaques, the patient's complaints begin to decline and regress.
Stem cell therapy prevents autoimmune inflammation in the brain and repairs damaged brain and spine cells in MS patients. Improvements such as stabilization of the patients' condition, decrease in the progression of the disease, shortening the duration of the periods in which the disease is aggravated, decreased spasticity (muscles being severely contracted) of hands and feet, development in walking, improvement in coordination and balance, progress in speech, improvement in the psychology, emotions and comprehension of the patient, strengthening of immunity and improvement of internal organ functions (heart, kidney, liver, intestine) and thus increased quality of life are observed after the treatment.
Patients receiving this treatment at the beginning of the disease may return to their jobs.
On the other hand, stem cell therapy slows the progression of the disease because it strengthens the body's defense system. If plaque formation begins again in the long term, it may be necessary to apply the stem cell method again. This disease can be treated at our GenCell Stem Cell Treatment Center in Kiev, Ukraine.
Method of administration:
The number of cells to be administered is determined according to the age and weight of the patient. Treatment is carried out using mesenchymal stem cells (derived from the patient's own adipose tissue or bone marrow) or fetal stem cells. The treatment of the patient is decided according to the condition of the patient. It can be performed in 3 sessions 45 days apart or in 3 consecutive days. The treatment protocol is precisely adjusted according to the patient's condition and a different protocol may be applied for each patient.
Success Rates in Treatment
The size of the administered stem cells is small enough to pass through the brain cells. Therefore, the success rate of the treatment increases significantly in early diagnosis. Previous studies reported a very high percentage of positive results with stem cell therapy. This treatment significantly prevented progression to further phases of the disease in 83% of the patients and helped to resolve the existing serious condition.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are there different types of MS?
There are four types of MS:
Clinical Isolated Syndrome (CIS):
It is the first episode of MS where characteristic features of the disease are seen and the symptoms of which last for at least 24 hours. Patients at this stage do not yet meet the diagnostic criteria for MS because some of the patients who have CIS may not develop MS.
Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS):
It is the most common condition that affects 85 percent of people with MS and includes new or increased symptoms.
Primary Progressive MS (PPMS):
The patient's neurological functions are progressively worsening (accumulation of disability) from the onset of symptoms without early relapses or remissions. Approximately 15 percent of cases are PPMS.
Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS):
It is a condition where the disease progresses continuously after the first attacks or after relapse and remission.
Who is most likely to have MS?
First of all, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is not a fatal disease. There are many studies on this subject. In these studies, no significant difference was found between MS and healthy individuals in terms of mean life expectancy. MS is not a contagious disease.
Age, gender, family history, certain infections, ethnicity and geography as well as some other autoimmune system diseases are thought to play a role in terms of this disease. The disease is generally seen in young people between 20-40, women, societies with high socio-economic level and people with high education level living in urban areas.
How is MS diagnosed?
There is no single device for diagnosing MS. Generally, the diagnosis is made according the patient's neurological history, neurological examination findings, cranial and spinal MRI findings, in some cases cerebrospinal fluid findings and in some cases by electrophysiological tests. Rarely, biopsy may be necessary to clarify other diagnostic possibilities.
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES:
- Mancardi, G., & Saccardi, R. (2008). Autologous haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis. The Lancet Neurology, 7(7), 626-636.
- Mancardi, G. L., Sormani, M. P., Gualandi, F., Saiz, A., Carreras, E., Merelli, E., ... & Rambaldi, A. (2015). Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis A phase II trial. Neurology, 84(10), 981-988.
- Connick, P., Kolappan, M., Crawley, C., Webber, D. J., Patani, R., Michell, A. W., ... & Compston, A. (2012). Autologous mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: an open-label phase 2a proof-of-concept study. The Lancet Neurology, 11(2), 150-156.
- Yamout, B., Hourani, R., Salti, H., Barada, W., El-Hajj, T., Al-Kutoubi, A., ... & Kreidieh, N. M. (2010). Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in patients with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study. Journal of neuroimmunology, 227(1), 185-189.
- Pasquini, M. C., Griffith, L. M., Arnold, D. L., Atkins, H. L., Bowen, J. D., Chen, J. T., ... & Muraro, P. A. (2010). Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple sclerosis: collaboration of the CIBMTR and EBMT to facilitate international clinical studies. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 16(8), 1076-1083.
- Uccelli, A., Laroni, A., & Freedman, M. S. (2011). Mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases. The Lancet Neurology, 10(7), 649-656.
- Llufriu, S., Sepúlveda, M., Blanco, Y., Marín, P., Moreno, B., Berenguer, J., ... & Andreu, E. J. (2014). Randomized placebo-controlled phase II trial of autologous mesenchymal stem cells in multiple sclerosis. PloS one, 9(12), e113936.