Adam Hochron

With clear advantages to living kidney donations work is being done to expand the reach of donors through chains of procedures which can reach across the country if needed.

The number of patients who need a kidney transplant far outweighs the number of organs available for donation. Despite that work is being done to make even a small dent in this growing problem.

Since its early days the public perception of multiple sclerosis has changed dramatically which has helped doctors better treat the condition. Even still more work remains to be done to help more people navigate the challenges associated with diagnosis and treatment.

From the initial diagnosis to finding a specialist to better manage the treatment of multiple sclerosis there is a lot that patients need to do in order to maintain as high a quality of life as possible. There are also potential issues patients can encounter all along the way that need to be overcome.

Patients with the relapsing form of multiple sclerosis have a variety of treatment options available to them. For those where the condition has moved into the progressive form there are no easy answers and even more questions remaining to be answered.

When some of the top minds in the field of multiple sclerosis came together in New Orleans it provided an opportunity to see where patient care stood and what could be done to help continue moving things forward for the future.

After receiving breakthrough therapy designation from the US Food and Drug Administration Ocrelizumab cleared another major hurdle in becoming the first treatment approved for progressive multiple sclerosis but more work remains before any potential approval is finalized.

With doctors unable to prescribe an effective treatment for patients with progressive multiple sclerosis, an unanswered question has lingered for many years. A potential answer to this difficult question could be closer to reality than ever before.

There may not yet be an approved treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis but as more attention is put on the condition that could begin to change rapidly in the near future.

It has long been documented that women with multiple sclerosis see a decrease in their symptoms during pregnancy. How that information can be used to help patients when they are not pregnant has yet to be determined.

Treating a complicated condition like multiple sclerosis can require help from a variety of people in order to provide patients the best care possible. At UC Davis this approach includes a pharmacist on the clinic floor who can also help patients after hours.

For patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis managing their prescriptions and finding the ones that work best can be a difficult process. With the help of a pharmacist on staff that process can be a little easier for many reasons.

There have been a variety of approaches to studying conditions like multiple sclerosis, with each providing a new layer of knowledge for doctors which can ultimately help their own and other patients.

As more treatments for multiple sclerosis are developed patients can help not only those affected by the condition now but also those in the future as well by enrolling in properly conducted clinical trials.

There are more than a dozen treatment options for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis and so far none for the progressive form. Why that is and what can be done to change that are two of the biggest challenges in the field today.

Some of the finest minds in the field of multiple sclerosis were in New Orleans for the annual ACTRIMS conference all looking to share their knowledge and learn more before returning home to their patients.

As researchers focus on finding treatments for progressive multiple sclerosis there are a number of potential angles to study to find the best treatment options possible. One potential area is the role of B cells in the treatment process.

While newer medications are constantly being developed for multiple sclerosis one of the original options may still be the best for some patients.

As the first medication designed to treat primary progressive multiple sclerosis moves closer to the market there are still many questions about how effective it will be and what other treatment options may look like in the future.

For many years there were no approved treatments for patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Recently, a concerted effort has been made to change that and get this patient population the help they so badly need.

The number of patients being diagnosed with sleep disorders continues to grow as the population grows and ages beyond generations of the past. Making the issue worse is the multitudes of patients who are not diagnosed and the health risks that presents.

Whether they work in a hospital setting or in an independent practice pulmonologists face a wide range of conditions on a daily basis. How they address these challenges can determine the quality of life of their patients.

The knowledge about COPD has grown in recent years but even with that increased knowledge applying that to patient diagnose and treatment has proved difficult for the medical community.

Through 30 years of research HIV has gone from being a death sentence for patients to something that can be more of a chronic condition. Antiretroviral therapy has been a key part of that fight and now there is more good news about this treatment option.

As more is learned about the causes of conditions like allergies and asthma medical science can better treat patients that are affected. This can include new treatments, new delivery methods, and new ways to prevent the conditions entirely.

Looking at conditions like allergy and asthma on the cellular level may not help patients dealing with the conditions today, but work done in the field today can pay dividends for future generations of potential sufferers.

Parents, especially new and expecting parents may believe that dirt and dust can be bad for their young children to be exposed to. Research has shown that, in fact, the opposite may be true.

The number of patients dealing with health issues related to asthma and allergies continues to grow and researchers are looking to answer the question of why this is happening. The answer may be at the cellular level and be influenced by a person's environment, including the common dust mite.

When a new medication is introduced to the market there are many questions that need to be answered to determine how successful they will be in patient care. How the medication is delivered and how much it costs the patient are among the most important.

With two medications moving through the pipeline, patients with diabetic kidney disease may soon get a new treatment to prevent their developing end stage kidney disease.