Nurses From Malaysia Among Participants At Multiple Sclerosis Forum

SINGAPORE, May 18 (Bernama) -- Nurses from several Asia Pacific countries, including Malaysia, are converging here for the inaugural Pan-Asian Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Nurses Forum aimed at promoting a greater level of care towards MS patients.
Event sponsor, Bayer Schering Pharma, said that the two-day forum, which began Friday, would highlight the importance of early treatment and staying on treatment to slow disease progression, stave off disability and give people with MS a better quality of life.
Other issues include the crucial role that MS nurses play in supporting people with MS in treatment, the company said in a statement. MS is a life-long and disabling disease of the central nervous system.
Malaysian MS Society president, Padma Panikker, who was diagnosed with MS at the age of 28, said she was devastated when she was diagnosed with the disease and nearly gave up treatment halfway through.
"But I'm thankful to my nurses for encouraging me to continue with the treatment," she said.
Bayer Schering Pharma said that people with MS might experience fatigue, reduced vision, leg weakness, numbness or tingling in the face, arms, legs or torso, slurred speech and loss of bladder control.
"If left untreated, some may eventually develop severe and irreversible disabilities causing them to becoming totally paralysed, wheelchair-bound and even blind".
The company said new findings showed that immediate treatment of people with early MS, using the disease-modifying therapy "Betaferon", could significantly delay permanent disability.