IMPACT and OPPORTUNITIES

Impact & Opportunities

Links & Resources

New Data on the Incidence of MS

A landmark report published in the February 15, 2019 issue of the prestigious journal, Neurology, now estimates that just under ONE MILLION people with MS are currently living in the US. Despite being first described over 150 years ago, there is still no known cause or cure.

Research Brings Advances in Treatments & New Opportunities

Thanks to tremendous strides in research, great advances have been made in the past twenty years in uncovering the complex etiology of MS and developing new treatments. Certain therapies are now showing results of “no evidence of disease activity” and for many with MS, progression can now be slowed. But there is still too much that is unknown and despite treatment advances, many people living with MS still face varying levels of disabilities and risks from alterations in their immune system.

ARMS was formed in 2013 to encourage researchers to explore promising and possibly nontraditional avenues of research to identify more ways people with MS can improve their quality of life. We feel this is a very promising time of discovery in MS and want to be a force in stimulating research.

Facts About MS

The incidence of MS in western New York is twice the national average.

Buffalo has the 2nd highest rate of MS in the country.

The annual cost of MS for New York State was estimated to be over $ 2 billion in 2013.

MS ranks as one of the most costly diseases in the U.S., second only to heart disease.

Many people with MS continue to experience disease progression that can lead to physical and/or cognitive disabilities that may impact employment and many aspects of their well-being.

Improved therapies over the last 20 years have increased the age of the MS population but also brought the complications from age-related co-morbidities.

There is a important need to conduct research in the aging MS population to provide evidence for optimum treatment approaches for this growing segment.