Dr. Fox's and Cleveland Clinic CCSVI study update

July 14, 2011 at 1:52pm

The one year update from the National MS Society on the CCSVI studies did not supply any real hard data. It appears most of the teams are waiting for the 2 year mark to unveil their results.  This is disappointing, because the clock keeps ticking for those who have venous malformations and obstructions.

Dr. Fox's CCSVI study report caught my eye, since I've mentioned CCSVI and the effects of hydration many times on here, especially in relationship to hypovolemia, or low blood flow due to dehydration.

Here is the post where I mentioned the importance of hydration and blood flow.   Highly recommended reading:

http://ccsviinms.blogspot.com/2010/12/blood-flow-and-ccsvi-december-26-2010.html

I found it interesting that Dr. Fox's team is exploring hydration in relationship to CCSVI---and wondering if he will use hypovolemia as an explanation for CCSVI.

.....the state of hydration of the subject (whether they drank adequate amounts of fluids) could impact results of several of the criteria used to determine CCSVI. They concluded that these complications may help explain the mixed results reported thus far related to CCSVI and MS, and they have added to their aims a study designed to evaluate the impact of hydration on CCSVI assessments.

The reason this is important is that we know not everyone who has CCSVI is dehydrated.  My husband always drank adequate fluids, and he had two severely deformed jugular veins.  But adequate hydration IS essential for good bloodflow.

I also found another aspect of Dr. Fox's study interesting, in that Dr. Gabbiani has studied biopsies of internal jugular veins taken from living people with CCSVI, and found a collagen shift in the jugular vein tissue.  Wondering what Dr. Fox's team will find from autopsy tissue.  Looks like we'll find out in October 2011--which is sooner than the 2 year mark.

Dr. Fox’s team has also gathered autopsy specimens of venous tissue from 9 MS tissue donors and 6 donors who did not have MS. The team first had to develop and standardize techniques for studying these specimens for signs of CCSVI. They are analyzing their data and have submitted abstracts reporting preliminary findings related to this pathology study and their scanning results for consideration at the international ECTRIMS (European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS) meeting in October 2011. 

I'm going to be a glass half full gal today, and say that I am hopeful for these studies and all that we can learn to help pwMS and pwCCSVI.

Joan

Raise a glass!

December 29, 2010 at 5:16pm

This year, my New Year's  resolution is going to be to get enough

WATER!

H2O!

agua!

For those who might have missed the note on hypovolemia (loss of blood volume and dehydration) and CCSVI--read the last post on Flow and CCSVI.

Jeff and I have been consciously drinking a bit more water than we normally would, since Dr. Dake recommended hydration after angioplasty.   Nothing crazy, because too much isn't good either.  But we're getting closer to the recommended amount.

Here's a wonderful calculator to help you figure out how much daily water you need.  There are nine questions based on your weight, activity level, climate and more.

http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

According to the calculator, with my body weight, amount of daily exercise and climate, I need 91 ounces of water a day.  That's a lot!  Jeff needs 109 ounces.  We're getting there.

So, will you join us in raising a glass of water to toast the new year?

To your health,  L'chaim!

Joan

Hydration, your Heart and Blood Flow

December 26, 2010 at 2:12pm

Did you know that when you are not drinking enough water, you are straining your heart and vascular system, and depriving your brain of good blood flow?

Dehydration causes strain on your heart. The amount of blood circulating through your body, or blood volume, decreases when you are dehydrated. To compensate, your heart beats faster, increasing your heart rate and causing you to feel palpitations. link

When we do not get enough hydration from water, our blood volume decreases. Water is essential for our vascular system.

Hypovolemia means low blood volume. This condition can be very serious and can be due to blood loss from injury.  It can also happen in a body that is dehydrated or inactive, or not functioning well. Hypovolemia occurs often to the elderly and disabled.

Low blood volume can cause orthostatic hypotension. This is when there isn't enough blood getting to the brain when you change position from lying down to upright. This can lead to dizziness, confusion and falls, and often happens in the elderly. But it can happen in people with MS, too. Orthostatic hypotension is well-documented in MS and has been a mystery for researchers.

For many women, pregnancy offers a time of blessed relief of MS symptoms. This has lead to studies of hormones and MS, and a clinical trial of estrogen in MS patients. But looking at pregnancy from the vascular paradigm, what else can we learn?

When women are pregnant, their blood volume increases dramatically. This sends blood pumping throughout the body.

Perhaps the most striking maternal physiologic alteration occurring during pregnancy is the increase in the blood volume. The magnitude of the increases varies according to the size of woman, the number of pregnancies she has had, the number of infants she has delivered, and whether there is one or multiple fetuses.The increases in blood volume progress until term;the average increase in volume at term is 45-50%. The increase is needed for extra blood flow to the uterus, extra metabolic needs of fetus, and increased perfusion of others organs, especially kidneys. Extra volume also compensate for maternal blood loss during delivery. 
link

After delivery is the time during which many women report having exacerbations in their MS, or a return of MS symptoms. Yes, hormone levels are fluctuating, but so are blood volume levels. Pondering this fact has lead me to do more reading on blood volume, and I am finding some interesting things to consider.

Thinking about blood volume in terms of CCSVI treatment and restenosis of veins has been very interesting to me. If angioplasty is returning good, open routes of flow, but the body is not able to compensate by providing adequate blood volume, then these opened vessels will not have the necessary pressure to remain opened. And the areas of prior stenosis might re-collapse, just like an old garden hose with low flow.

I hope to bring this avenue of discussion to the doctors. Perhaps aftercare needs to include additional hydration, salt intake, maybe even intravenous fluids--all to keep blood levels adequate. Inactivity and remaining in the supine position increase hypovolemia--therefore, movement, exercise and upright activities would encourage blood flow and blood volume. Something to think about as we move forward with CCSVI research in 2011.

With wishes for good flow in the New Year!

Joan