Early treatment takes centre stage in MS care forum

Doctors have called for earlier recognition, faster referrals and better coordinated care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), where more than 70 diagnosed cases are being tracked.

Physicians from Barbados and across the region met at the Hilton Hotel for a forum to examine how early diagnosis and prompt treatment can change the course of the long-term neurological condition. They were joined by a neurology researcher at a major MS treatment centre in the US.

Dr Daniel Ontaneda, a neurology professor and research director at the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute in Florida, outlined changes in the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of MS worldwide. He stressed the importance of bringing advanced approaches to Barbados to improve patients’ long-term outcomes.