Introduction
Multiple Sclerosis is a disease associated with clinical evidence of disability attributable to more than one lesion in the nervous system. The clinical course is extremely unpredictable due to the variability of demyelination and lesions. It may be relapsing, remitting, or chronic progressive. The focal edema that characterizes lesions typical of MS inevitably increases the diffusion distance for oxygen and provides a sound rationale for increasing the oxygen concentration of the plasma under hyperbaric conditions. This increases the oxygenation of the brain and nervous tissue by altering the perfusing blood and the oxygenation of the blood brain barrier.
The effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the reduction of global cerebral edema has been demonstrated in the literature. Studies dating back to 1986 have found that one or more lesions shown on MRI disappeared in over 31% of patients after treatment, which suggests that it is the resolution of focal edema that accounts for the improvement.
In general, the findings of all the long –term studies of established MS patients suggest that regular Hyperaric Oxygen Therapy favorably influences the course of the disease
*Please note that HMS is in the process of gathering research for the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the treatment of MS.
