About this Research Topic
In recent years attention has been drawn on changes in multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence according to sex and age. We are now aware that MS is not a disease with onset exclusively in the young adult, but that pediatric cases are not infrequent, as well as onset in older adults. The need to assess the role of aging, sexual hormones, diet, and infections, has boosted research in many areas, from immunology to imaging techniques to psychology.
An increasing awareness of the impact of MS on personal and sexual relationships, with the need to assess patient related outcomes also in clinical trials, has driven research not only in psychology, but in many other areas. The need to integrate information from all these different research areas is deeply felt.
In this Research Topic on aging in women and men with MS we intend to investigate, from childhood to old age, which are the most relevant issues to be addressed to provide patients with a holistic approach to well-being. We will collect contributions from different research areas, from diagnosis and monitoring to treatment, to deepen insight in the different areas still lacking satisfactory objective answers. We will in particular aim to identify research areas addressing the intertwining of aging and the immune function in the development of progression. We will also address often hidden and unmet patient’s needs, such as fatigue, pain, sexual function, procreation and parenthood.
Scope of this Research topic is to enable readers to better understand the complexity of aging with MS. Themes which are to be addressed are:
- Pathophysiology of aging in MS patients
- Sex and aging: what we have learnt from epidemiological studies across countries
- The impact of diagnosis on personal and sexual relationships
- The role of pre-puberty and puberty in pediatric onset MS
- The role of sexual hormones during childbearing age: hormone therapy and changes in pregnancy and puerperium
- The role of aging, menopause and sexual hormones changes, in the development of progression
- MRI techniques to investigate sexual dysfunction in male and female patients
- Cognition across different age groups: effects of MS on cognition in Pediatric Onset MS
- Cognition across different age groups: effects of MS on cognition in adults
- Cognition across different age groups: effects of MS on cognition in older MS patients
- Male sexual dysfunctions and treatment
- Immunosenescence in MS
- Treatment algorithms according to age
An increasing awareness of the impact of MS on personal and sexual relationships, with the need to assess patient related outcomes also in clinical trials, has driven research not only in psychology, but in many other areas. The need to integrate information from all these different research areas is deeply felt.
In this Research Topic on aging in women and men with MS we intend to investigate, from childhood to old age, which are the most relevant issues to be addressed to provide patients with a holistic approach to well-being. We will collect contributions from different research areas, from diagnosis and monitoring to treatment, to deepen insight in the different areas still lacking satisfactory objective answers. We will in particular aim to identify research areas addressing the intertwining of aging and the immune function in the development of progression. We will also address often hidden and unmet patient’s needs, such as fatigue, pain, sexual function, procreation and parenthood.
Scope of this Research topic is to enable readers to better understand the complexity of aging with MS. Themes which are to be addressed are:
- Pathophysiology of aging in MS patients
- Sex and aging: what we have learnt from epidemiological studies across countries
- The impact of diagnosis on personal and sexual relationships
- The role of pre-puberty and puberty in pediatric onset MS
- The role of sexual hormones during childbearing age: hormone therapy and changes in pregnancy and puerperium
- The role of aging, menopause and sexual hormones changes, in the development of progression
- MRI techniques to investigate sexual dysfunction in male and female patients
- Cognition across different age groups: effects of MS on cognition in Pediatric Onset MS
- Cognition across different age groups: effects of MS on cognition in adults
- Cognition across different age groups: effects of MS on cognition in older MS patients
- Male sexual dysfunctions and treatment
- Immunosenescence in MS
- Treatment algorithms according to age
Keywords: multiple sclerosis; aging; sex; puberty; pregnancy, menopause; immunosenescence; sexual dysfunction; fatigue; hormones; MRI; cytokines; patient related outcomes; depression; anxiety;
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
