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Geographic MS populations and CCSVI?

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 8:37 am
by JCB
I may have missed it in the numerous posts. Don't get me wrong I am a beliver in getting our veins fixed and flowing. I am hoping to have the procedure prior to the end of 2010. I was just thinking this weekend about the prevalence of MS in certain geographic regions, how does CCSVI address or explain that? I understand the vitamin D, and the dietary differences, but do these have a direct affect on the rate of stenosis?

Excuse me while I take my Vitamin D and Omega3 and Flaxseed Oil.

Jim

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:07 am
by cheerleader
Dr. BB Lee of Georgetown addressed this at the Bologna conference--he stated that truncular venous malformations occur in Caucasians, and Caucasians have settled further from the equator. He also commented that they are twice as prevalent in females.

Another area I've been interested in documenting, and doctors are testing for this using fMRI BOLD technology pre and post angioplasty, is that CCSVI creates diffuse cerebral hypoxia in MS brains. Being at high altitude creates a more severe hypoxic situation, increasing cellular death and activating the immune system. It was after a week at high altitude that my husband had his first flare...and I believe it's why we see more MS diagnosed in Colorado, etc...but it's still a theory. The venous malformations is scientific fact.

As far as vitamin D--I believe it's related to helping oxygen utilization. Anyone with low vitamin D might suffer more from hypoxic injury. Don't know if it's implicated in congenital venous malformations yet. More studies ahead, I'm sure.

cheer

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:47 am
by JCB
Thanks Cheer

Impact of Hypoxia

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 2:37 pm
by Shayk
Cheer
Another area I've been interested in documenting, and doctors are testing for this using fMRI BOLD technology pre and post angioplasty, is that CCSVI creates diffuse cerebral hypoxia in MS brains. Being at high altitude creates a more severe hypoxic situation, increasing cellular death and activating the immune system.
I'm so happy they're doing the fMRI BOLD technology pre and post angioplasty. I'm waiting for the results. :)

I know you've mentioned Jeff's high altitude flare several times, but I can't remember if this abstract has ever been posted, so here it is. (Sorry if it's a repeat folks).

Reduced oxygen due to high-altitude exposure relates to atrophy in motor-function brain areas
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that extremely high-altitude exposures may cause subtle white and grey matter changes that mainly affect brain regions involved in motor activity.
Since I'm on the topic, here's another one......

Tolerance to severe hypoxia: lessons from Mt. Everest
However, there is impairment of central nervous system function at high altitude which persists following return to sea level.

Significant abnormalities of motor coordination persisted for more than 12 months in most members of the Everest expedition.

There is evidence that the climbers who ventilate most at high altitude have the most central nervous system impairment, presumably because of the more severe cerebral vasoconstriction
I think the fMRI BOLD research pre and post angioplasty could be quite informative.

Take care everyone--

Sharon

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 2:49 pm
by ozarkcanoer
The last time I visited my neurologist, in May of this year, he said his opinion is that there is really no latitudinal correlation in MS. He said that there are more doctors in the mid-latitudes and therefore more MS diagnoses. This does make some sense to me. Australia, the USA, Europe and the UK and Canada are all mid-latitude countries with many well trained doctors and therefore most likely more MS diagnoses. My neuro is very highly regarded in my city and has studied MS for a number of years. This is only to illustrate that even the MS experts don't agree on much of the "common wisdom". I think there are many many "facts" about MS that may be overturned in the coming years.

ozarkcanoer

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 2:57 pm
by cheerleader
Sharon--
thanks so much for those studies. Very, very interesting.
Here's the first fMRI BOLD chart of Devin Hubbard. Devin is the son of Dr. David Hubbard, a neurologist in San Diego, CA and a doctor who is now testing for CCSVI and referring to an IR. They have their IRB! This is his son's oxygenation result pre and post angio.

link to chart

Dr. Haacke and Dr. Hubbard are at the forefront of documenting this change in oxygenation. Many more charts to come. So very glad.
cheer

Re: Impact of Hypoxia

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 3:20 pm
by Cece
Shayk wrote:Reduced oxygen due to high-altitude exposure relates to atrophy in motor-function brain areas
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that extremely high-altitude exposures may cause subtle white and grey matter changes that mainly affect brain regions involved in motor activity.
"Subtle white-and-grey matter changes" sounds a lot like "normal-appearing white matter." (I have been bitter since I learned that phrase, since I would much prefer my white matter to be normal as compared to normal-appearing.) Very interesting links. I canceled a medium-altitude hike this spring because of my concerns over this.

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 3:24 pm
by shye
thanks for the interesting observation from your neurologist Ozark--so, likewise thinking might apply to dr BB's statement that truncular venous malformations are found in Caucasians (I assume this means not in others)--but Caucasians have the best medical care in the world--so possibly it has just not been diagnosed in others.
So, then where are we with out theories and hypotheses??

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 3:27 pm
by Cece
I thought there was research showing that if a person moves from a cold climate to a sunny warm climate, they take on the risk profile of the sunny warm climate (but only if they live their during their childhood/early teen years)?

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 3:31 pm
by Shayk
Cheer--Thanks for that link

From the chart
...."clear improvement after angioplasty"

And more charts on the way--swell. 8)

Cece--I think they found those subtle changes in white matter several years ago in PwMS--way before the lesions presented on MRI. Took them by surprise.

Sharon

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 3:37 pm
by cheerleader
Finally--altitude research based in Colorado on effects in multiple sclerosis. I'd say it's about time- The Altitude Research Center in Denver will be conducting the following studies--
The other focus is epidemiology, the effects of hypoxia on lifespan and progression of cancer, heart disease, obesity, lung diseases, and neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. Projected studies will investigate multiple sclerosis progression, longevity, cardiovascular disease, and behavior of malaria at altitude. Medical applications for these studies are being realized in conjunction with sophisticated geographic information systems technology that tracks migrations of populations.

Research director Robert Roach, Ph.D., is investigating the brain response to hypoxia and its relation to AMS and the genetics of AMS and human athletic performance. Vaughn Browne, M.D., Ph.D., studies the genetics of low birth-weight babies at altitude, investigating the differences in pregnancy adaptations of women whose ancestors lived in the Bolivian Andes for millennia compared to European women whose ancestors lived at altitude for only a few generations.

ARC scientists are offering their expertise to high-altitude clinical research projects worldwide. Ultimately, experts hope understanding gained through research improves the clinical treatment of problems related to hypoxia.
http://www.denvermagazine.com/May-2010/ ... -Altitude/
cheer

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 4:03 pm
by mangio
I know this is alot more extreme but a lecture I went to by a former
astronaut - now alzheimers neuroscientist - admitted to the audience
that she herself is as many of her fellow astronauts, quite
concerned about brain injury and the longterm risk of developing dementia diseases from space missions.