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\u201cWe have worked for the last five years to improve the care of the MS patients of the state of Connecticut, and we have created several strategies and research and build a national recognized MS center,\u201d Imitola says. \u201cIn the last two years, with input of medical students, scientists and patients, we created a bilingual \u00a0tool that collects, in a very clear, succinct manner, both compelling graphic and in words, the most relevant and alarming symptoms in early MS. We put it together in a framework that helps anyone to be educated about the initial red flags for multiple sclerosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
That led to the mnemonic \u201cVISIBL-MS,\u201d which is the basis for \u201cVISIBLY\u201d in English and \u201cVISIBLE\u201d in Spanish.<\/p>\n
Spelling out the English example:<\/p>\n
- \n
- VISI<\/strong>: Vision changes, including painful vision loss of color vision, or double vision<\/li>\n
- B<\/strong>: Belly or back numbness or balance problems<\/li>\n
- L<\/strong>: Limb weakness or numbness<\/li>\n
- Y<\/strong>: Young people<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Imitola reports on this novel framework in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal<\/em><\/a>, a leading peer-reviewed publication in MS, with UConn medical student co-authors Shivam Patel and Seamus Rafferty and collaborators from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Florida.<\/p>\n
Noting how the acronym BEFAST has become synonymous with how to recognize signs of stroke, Imitola is hopeful VISIBL-MS will help the community identify people who may have early signs of multiple sclerosis.<\/p>\n
As the authors explain, early MS symptoms are not often recognized by patients and general practitioners, and many patients are dismissed because of the transient nature of the initial symptoms or the belief that only Caucasian people get MS, only to come back with another attack contributing to delays in diagnosis and treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope to integrate our new tool into medical students\u2019 education, but also that it can be helpful for patients and families, since the design is simple but very informative and the mnemonic can be used in English or Spanish,\u201d Imitola says.<\/p>\n
He notes that Connecticut has an increased prevalence of MS, around 370 per 100,000 people, \u201cand there is enough evidence that diverse patients have worse MS due to intrinsic biological aggravated by social factors. UConn Health serves as the flagship safety net institution for the state and we need to make an effort to raise awareness in our populations that are minorities \u2014 African Americans, Hispanics, and others \u2014 because early awareness leads to early treatment and leads to prevention and changing the trajectory of the disease process.\u201d<\/p>\n
- B<\/strong>: Belly or back numbness or balance problems<\/li>\n