PROVIDENCE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS CENTER LAUNCHES NEW REGISTRY
IN HOPES OF FINDING ANSWERS, BETTER TREATMENT

Dec. 10, 2007

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Providence Multiple Sclerosis Center has launched the Oregon multiple sclerosis (MS) registry. The purpose of this registry is to identify every person living in the Pacific Northwest who has MS.

It is well known that Oregon has one of the highest rates of MS in the country. “We are hoping every person with MS in the Northwest will sign up for this registry so we can determine why the MS rate is so high and answer the question - do all MS patients have adequate access to treatment?” said Dr. Stanley Cohan, director of the Providence Multiple Sclerosis Center. The registry will track how many MS patients live in the Northwest, where they live, and what type of treatment they are receiving - and look for a correlation between those factors and MS.

Anyone with MS living in the Northwest can sign up for the registry. It does not matter where they receive health care, or if they have insurance. All information will be kept confidential.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system. It can cause a variety of symptoms including muscle weakness, visual problems, difficulties with coordination and speech, severe fatigue, and cognitive impairment.

An estimated 400,000 people in the United States have MS. Every week in the U.S., doctors diagnose 200 new cases. Most people are diagnosed with MS between the ages of 20 and 50. Women are two to three times more likely than men to develop the disease.

Patients wishing to sign up for the MS registry can do so online at www.providence.org/brain, or they can call the Providence MS Registry Hotline at 503-216-1022 to request a registry form.

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Providence Multiple Sclerosis Center is devoted to providing comprehensive care to patients with all stages of multiple sclerosis, in an integrated program that addresses the individual clinical and social issues associated with this disease. The center is based at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Providence Health & Services largest Oregon hospital, and is a part of the Providence Brain Institute. For more information, visit www.providence.org/brain.