Medical scientists at Dundee University trying to solve one of the riddles of the disease are asking for the help of multiple sclerosis sufferers. They want MS patients who have suffered a relapse in the past three weeks to volunteer for blood tests and brain scans to help identify changes in circulation associated with the disease. It has been known for some years that MS patients suffer inflammatory damage to small veins in the brain.
New techniques being pioneered in Dundee reveal how blood cells stick to the lining of blood vessels, a forerunner to inflammation. This is beginning to throw light on the earliest changes associated with relapse, which should help to prevent these changes.