MSA: SOME ANSWERS( continued)
Is MSA a fatal disease?
On average, someone with MSA lives about seven or eight years after the onset of symptoms. This short survival is not a direct effect of the disease but of complications of the difficulties in swallowing safely and moving around. The most common of these complications are pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and blood clots in the legs that lodge in the lungs. Other potentially dangerous complications of MSA are low blood pressure, slow heart rate, sleep apnea, and injuries from falls.
How is MSA treated?
We have no treatment or prevention for the underlying brain disorder, but some of the individual symptoms can be managed successfully with medications that raise blood pressure, enhance sleep, inhibit bladder emptying, or stimulate the bowel. Drugs for Parkinson’ s that stimulate the brain’ s dopamine system sometimes work for a few years for the general slowness and stiffness in MSA.
What happens eventually?
Unfortunately, the progression of MSA is almost as rapid as that of PSP, with the average time from initial symptom to requiring a wheelchair of five years. Death occurs on average seven to eight years after the initial symptoms, usually from complications of the immobile state, such as pneumonia or other infections. Keep in mind that this is only an average duration of survival. Many people with MSA survive longer.
28
What research is being done?
A critical defect in the brain cells in MSA is accumulation of the normal protein alpha-synuclein. The same protein accumulates in Parkinson’ s disease but in a different set of brain cells. In 2018 alone, 416 research papers on MSA were published in scientific journals, up from 227 papers in 2010. As scientists understand more about the various brain degenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’ s, Parkinson’ s, PSP, Lou Gehrig’ s disease, and MSA, many commonalities among them are being revealed. That means that any breakthrough in one could benefit the others. It is entirely realistic to expect that after researchers find a prevention or a way of halting the progression of one of these diseases, the others will benefit similarly.
How can I help research in MSA?
One way is to be alert for trials of new medication or new diagnostic tests. These are listed on a website maintained by the National Institutes of Health, www. clinicaltrials. gov. You simply enter“ Multiple System Atrophy” into the search box. Participants in clinical trials may not only benefit from a new treatment that is not generally available, but they also often receive detailed care and attention that is not routine, even at excellent medical centers. Study participants also get the satisfaction of helping in the fight against their illness. Other trials may look for new genetic or environmental contributors to the cause of MSA. Discovering these could point to potential preventative measures or treatments.