Every year on May 30, the global community comes together to observe World MS Day. It’s a day to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, an estimated one million people in the U.S. are living with MS. There is no definitive data on how many Arizonans are affected, but those answers could be coming soon.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is building a database called the National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System (NNCSS) that will track two diseases: MS and Parkinson’s disease. This will help us understand the geographic areas, ages, ethnicities, and groups that are most affected – as well as the prevalence of both diseases. The hope is that this kind of targeted research could lead to better treatment options, health outcomes, and even a cure one day.
While the research continues, here is what we know about MS:
- MS is an unpredictable, often disabling, disease of the central nervous system.
- Multiple sclerosis impacts the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
- Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis.
- Everyone’s experience with MS is different and symptoms may be temporary or long lasting.
- Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and it affects women three times more than men.
- There is currently no cure for MS.
Finding a cure for MS is an important cause that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) cares deeply about. Team BCBSAZ recently participated in Walk MS in Tucson and Phoenix to help raise funds and show support for all Arizonans living with MS.
BCBSAZ continues to show up for the community, and its members living with MS.
The BCBSAZ Clinical Rapid Response Team is here to help members who have been recently diagnosed or are living with life-altering conditions or diseases, like MS. The Rapid Response Team can help accelerate pre-authorizations and access to specialty care in situations when delays in these services could be detrimental. There is a direct email monitored 24/7 that takes BCBSAZ members to the right person who can help, for example, speed up appointment timelines.
None of this would be possible without the help of Arizona healthcare industry leaders. BCBSAZ linked up with doctors who also have a passion to improve the health of those living with MS and formed the “MS Community of Practice.” It’s a collaboration between our health plan and health providers to explore how we can make it easier for those living with MS.
On this World MS Day, explore ways you can get involved and spread awareness.
If you want to learn more about MS, visit: What is MS? | National Multiple Sclerosis Society (nationalmssociety.org)