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Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Researchers pinpoint key warning signs of MS that are routinely ignored... would YOU recognise them?
A new study has revealed fatigue, anxiety and pain are little known signs of multiple sclerosis (MS) that can strike 15 years before more well-known symptoms. Typical symptoms of the autoimmune condition include difficulties walking, vision problem, numbness and muscle cramps. The latest analysis looked at the health records of 12,000 people, tracking physician visits in the 25 years leading up to the onset of MS symptoms. It was the first study to examine healthcare usage this far back into a patient's clinical history. They found a steady increase in the number of visits to a GP as early as 15 years before neurological symptoms set in. This included an increase in visits to physicians for symptoms like fatigue, pain, dizziness, anxiety and depression. The visits to psychiatrists for mental health problems specifically increased 12 years before. But the researchers cautioned that not everyone who has these symptoms will go on to get the debilitating condition. They also found visits to neurologists and ophthalmologists—also known as eye doctors—for blurry vision or eye pain increased eight to nine years before. Then they saw an increase in visits to emergency and radiology departments three to five years before. And finally, they observed an increase in visits to specialist physicians like neurologists a year before. These patterns show signs 'something is happening beneath the surface' before it declares itself as MS, said Dr. Marta Ruiz-Algueró, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC, the study's first author. The earliest signs they observed 'can be easily mistaken for other conditions', warned Dr Helen Tremlett, professor of neurology at UBC's faculty. They believe their findings 'dramatically shift the timeline for when these early warning signs are thought to begin'. And they potentially open the door to opportunities for earlier detection and intervention, added Dr Tremlett. Previously other researchers had found symptoms that appear five years before, such as constipation, urinary tract infections, and sexual problems. MS is a life-changing, incurable condition affecting the brain and spinal cord that causes debilitating muscle spasms, among other symptoms. While MS does not directly kill, at advanced stages, it can cause weakness in the chest muscles, leading to difficulty breathing and swallowing—which can have life-threatening complications. Those in the late stage of the illness are also extremely vulnerable to potentially deadly infections. Some studies show that MS patients are up to 75 per cent more likely to die young than those without the disease. Most people find out they have MS in their thirties and forties, but the first signs can start years earlier. The latest study comes amid a concerning rise in cases, with around 150,000 people living with MS in the UK. This is up from around 130,000 in 2019, according to recent research by the MS Society. While experts don't know the reason cases are on the rise, possible factors are infections, a lack of vitamin D, smoking, solvents, obesity, and stress. It is important to spot the early signs of the condition, as while there is no cure for MS, treatments can slow the progression of the disease. The type of treatment you will need depends on the type of the disease patients have: relapsing remitting, secondary progressive, and primary progressive. Relapse and remitting MS involves flare-ups of symptoms where they get worse (relapse) and get better (remission). Over time it often develops into secondary progressive MS, when symptoms are there all the time, and get slowly worse. In the less common case of primary progressive MS, symptoms slowly getting worse over time without periods of them going away or getting better. Treatments may include several types of medication such as steroids, disease-modifying therapies, muscle relaxants, and those to treat pain and other symptoms. Other types of support include advice on fatigue, physiotherapy, mobility equipment, talking therapies, and cognitive rehabilitation.
The Sun
6 days ago
- The Sun
Common medicines may not work for some people based on their DNA, experts find
A PILOT scheme has revealed a widespread genetic sensitivity to common medicines which could increase side effects or stop them working as they should. The trial saw 2,200 adults undergo whole genome sequencing to analyse how their individual DNA responds to the likes of antibiotics and over the counter painkillers. 1 A staggering 99 per cent showed a genetic variant that affects their sensitivity to certain medicines. This could mean some drugs, including over the counter, everyday painkillers, antibiotics and other prescription medications, won't work for some people based on their individual DNA. The blood test, part of Bupa's My Genomic Health scheme, also looked their genetic risk of developing 36 preventable diseases including cancers, heart conditions and type 2 diabetes. It found 91 per cent of participants were found to be at risk of developing a disease with genetic and lifestyle risk factors, such as fatty liver disease, breast cancer and certain heart diseases. While 73 per cent had multiple genetic variants that put them at raised risk of developing a condition that could be prevented or detected early, leading to better health outcomes, including the likes of high cholesterol, skin cancer and type 2 diabetes. And 49 per cent were found to be carriers of a genetic variant that could lead to raised risk of certain condition in future generations. Following the successful pilot, Medication Check can now be purchased through Bupa, and will also be available to more than three million its customers as part of its workplace health scheme. A saliva test will establish what medications are most likely to be effective, those with increased risk of adverse side effects, or ones that won't work for them at all. Dr Rebecca Rohrer, clinical innovation and genomics director for Bupa, said: 'We've long known that most medications only work for 30-50 per cent of the population. 'However, this pilot has highlighted just how significantly individual genomes impact the effectiveness of medications in treating conditions. Beware 3 of the most dangerous medicines in the world - including one found in almost EVERY home 'With more than half of us regularly taking a prescription medication and an increasing number affected by a chronic condition, it's crucial that people are prescribed the right medicine from the start, tailored to their unique genetic makeup. 'In the longer term, genomics is key to early detection and even preventing some illnesses altogether.' After completing the at-home medication check, patients will be offered a GP consultation with the healthcare provider to review any medication identified in their genetic tests. It comes as Bupa is about to introduce two new products to its My Genomic Health suite later this year, that will help to prevent or detect illness earlier. The DNA Health Check will give people early warning of an increased genetic risks of four different conditions - breast cancer, prostate cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. While the Advanced DNA Health Check will combine insights from medication, disease risk, carrier status and traits, and will look at the genetic risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, metabolic disease and 10 types of cancer. Carlos Jaureguizar, CEO for Bupa Global, India & UK, said: 'Whole genomic sequencing is fundamentally changing our approach to healthcare, pivoting from treatment to prevention. 'It has the power to become a health passport that people can reference throughout their lives. 'We firmly believe genomics is the path to health innovation and prevention, reducing the nation's health burden and giving people personalised knowledge of their own genomic profile to live well for longer.'
BBC News
20-07-2025
- BBC News
Emotionally-based school avoidance: What is it and what is the impact?
The number of children missing more than half of school in Oxfordshire has increased more than five-fold over the past 10 of these cases are now referred to as "ghost children", with the cause of the absences often put down to emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA).The term was previously sometimes called school refusal but this has become less common, with many parents feeling it has negative child and adolescent psychotherapist Gerry Byrne said the "problem has doubled [in the UK] since the [Covid] pandemic". What is EBSA? Emotionally-based school avoidance is when a child is regularly absent from school, or cannot attend at all, due to anxiety or other emotional or physical to a report in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), it "does not constitute a psychiatric diagnosis in its own right but often co-occurs with diagnoses of anxiety and/or mood disorders".The BMJ found EBSA resulted in missed schooling for an estimated 1%–5% of the school population across total number of pupils in Oxfordshire missing more than half of school has risen sharply from 427 in 2015/16 to 2,305 in 2023/24, according to Department for Education (DfE) figures. Common factors Mr Byrne, from Uffington, said "things that happen in the classroom or in the school are often the starting point"."Whether that's the experience of bullying, academic pressure or being overwhelmed by the sheer size of the class," he each case, there will be a number of different factors but the common ones will be "school pressures, sometimes family complications, mental health difficulties within the family and some background of separation anxiety or low self-confidence", he added. Feeling overwhelmed Mr Byrne, who has spent more than three decades working in specialist children services across Oxford, said the natural state for any child was "to be curious, to be social and to trust and be able to learn and to thrive".But this could only happen, he said, if children had a "sense of a peer community, of fellow students who you are comfortable being with, and you have sensitive, supporting care and your curiosity is stimulated."It was not about a child saying "I'm just simply not doing something", he explained."It's very much a feeling of 'I can't do it'."If they're saying 'I won't' then it's coming from the only solution they can offer to a situation where they feel overwhelmed." Impact on education According to the BMJ report, EBSA can have "significant negative consequences for children and their families".Only half of pupils with an attendance rate below 90% achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2, the report compares with 71% of pupils with an attendance rate of more than 99%.The BMJ report said "even when children are managing to attend school", the anxiety associated with EBSA "may impair learning in the classroom"."Lower attendance is further associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing mental health problems, fewer friendships and poorer employment prospects," it added. Help for parents BBC Bitesize has six top tips for parents to protect their mental health while supporting a child with health charity Anna Freud features videos with parents who have children with EBSA, as well as other advice and charity YoungMinds has a guide for parents and carers who have a child with school anxiety or Action Line can offer further advice for parents on a number of issues touched on Oxford, charity Ark-T runs therapeutic sessions at Orchard Meadow Primary in Blackbird Leys, where small groups of children work on art-based projects in a quiet, protected teacher Heather Richards said missing school could become a "vicious circle" but that the sessions had led to "real improvement" in attendance figures."They have a stronger connection with some of the children in their year group," she added. "They also build their confidence." National effort In a statement, the DfE said the government had "inherited a broken system", with children and families "facing poor outcomes and barriers to opportunity".It said: "The case for tackling the epidemic of school absence could not be clearer: improved grades, higher wages, better life chances."Tackling this issue is everyone's responsibility – government, schools, parents, and children – and we need a national effort to get our kids back in the classroom."As part of our plan for change, we are determined to turn the tide on poor attendance and break down barriers to opportunity - whether it's through attendance mentors, free breakfast clubs, improved mental health support, additional investment in family support, or more focus from Ofsted." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
