First Progressive MS Day Recognized Across United States

Crush MS is pleased to announce our participation in the first Progressive MS Day, being observed on March 28, 2018. In partnership with the multiple sclerosis (MS) community and governments across the country, Progressive MS Day shows support, offers education, and calls for more research to advance care and reduce disability for those living with the most debilitating forms of the disease.
 
We are calling on the MS community to join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn using the official hashtag: #ProgressiveMSDay.

​People can highlight resources, programs and services for those living with progressive forms of MS, as well as share their stories of perseverance and hope. Additionally, participants can show their support with a custom Facebook profile frame for the day (instructions here)

Progressive forms of MS are characterized by a sustained build-up of symptoms with an insidious increase in disability.[1] With Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) in particular, disability accumulates twice as fast as in those with Relapsing MS (RMS). This means that people with PPMS experience more problems with walking, more difficulty remaining in the workforce, and require more assistance with everyday activities.[2] Approximately 400,000 people in the U.S are living with MS.[3] Up to 15 percent are diagnosed with PPMS,2 and the majority of those diagnosed with RMS will transition to a progressive form later in life.[4]
 
Progressive forms of MS remain frustratingly difficult to treat, due to a history of unsuccessful clinical trials and limited understanding of why progression occurs. While more than a dozen medicines for RMS have been approved since the 1990s, there is one FDA-approved treatment for PPMS. More research and a deeper understanding of the biology driving this condition is needed.
 
Groups recognizing Progressive MS Day include several national MS patient advocacy organizations and MS centers. Governments around the country will also join together to formally proclaim March 28th as Progressive MS Day; these states include California, Georgia, Michigan and Colorado, to date.

[1] Progressive MS. The Condition. International Progressive MS Alliance. http://www.progressivemsalliance.org/progressive-ms/the-condition/. Accessed February 9, 2018.

[2] Primary Progressive MS (PPMS). National Multiple Sclerosis Society. www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Types-of-MS/Primary-progressive-MS. Accessed December 2017.

[3] Who Gets Multiple Sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis Association of America. https://mymsaa.org/ms-information/overview/who-gets-ms/. Accessed February 8, 2018.

[4] Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS). National Multiple Sclerosis Society. https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Types-of-MS/Secondary-progressive-MS. Accessed February 8, 2018.