Prospective Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis in the Three Rivers Region
In this longitudinal prospective natural history study of multiple sclerosis (MS), the overarching goal is to understand the factors that influence individual variation in disease trajectory and treatment response and pave the way for realizing precision medicine in MS. Because MS is a chronic neurological disorder, this observational cohort study will span a 30-year time frame.
• Inclusion criteria for MS patients include:
‣ willing and able to give consent
⁃ age 7 years or older
⁃ diagnosis of multiple sclerosis or related disorders, including a first central nervous system demyelinating episode with a positive MRI scan or abnormal MRI scans characteristic of MS but no clinical symptoms of the disease
• For healthy controls:
‣ Age 7 years or older
⁃ Willing and able to provide consent (for \>=18 years) or assent with permission from at least one of the child's parents (for \<18 years)
⁃ No known personal history of multiple sclerosis or related disorders
⁃ No other chronic diseases
⁃ Family members, unrelated household controls, or controls from the general population could be eligible