Hope for professional treatment in a specialized clinic nearby - in the future, not only patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), but also with similar neurological diseases can expect that.
The Marianne Strauss Clinic (MS Clinic), a specialist clinic for multiple sclerosis in Kempfenhausen, is expanding its so-called indication restrictions.
"What is new is that patients with a known differential diagnosis can also be admitted and treated," explains Prof. Dr.
Ingo Kleiter, medical director and managing director of the clinic.
This means that patients with diseases similar to multiple sclerosis can also be admitted for treatment and therapy.
So far, this has only been possible if the aim was to clarify symptoms and no diagnosis had yet been made.
BY ADA WASSMANN
Multiple sclerosis is chronic inflammation of the nervous system in the brain and spinal cord. There are several distinguishable related diseases. They have similar symptoms, but have to be treated differently. If the attending physician uses the typical drugs for multiple sclerosis for these diseases, they can even get worse. That is why the MS Clinic is expanding its range of therapies in order to be able to do justice to all patients. The doctors are already very familiar with the new area; retraining takes place for other employees in order to guarantee sufficient specialist knowledge. "Fortunately, the essential aspects of the treatment are the same," says Kleiter. This enables direct entry into the new treatment.
The managing director: "We expect increasing numbers of patients for diseases related to multiple sclerosis." This is also due to the fact that related diseases only make up five percent of diagnoses. In numbers: In Germany there are 240,000 MS patients and 10,000 to 20,000 with the related diseases. In general, the number of patients is currently falling due to the pandemic. Many usually come to inpatient treatment without an acute need for it. Therefore, they want to wait for current contact restrictions or get a vaccination before they can be admitted. Patients with acute symptoms continue to be treated without restriction.
The Marianne Strauss Clinic is currently being expanded (we reported).
The first phase of construction is making good progress.
"We will be able to move into the new administration building this year," says Kleiter.
This is to create space for patients in the main building.
A new station is to be opened in early 2022.
However, these expansion measures have nothing to do with the extension of the indication.
They were planned years ago “to create new offers for people with MS”.
The first priority is the well-being of the patient.
Further information
online at www.ms-klinik.de.