Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

UCLA Health Excellence in Multiple Sclerosis Care

The UCLA Health Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Program offers world-class care for patients with MS. Our team’s research focus allows us to provide novel, advanced MS treatments. Our dedicated specialists have decades of combined experience and training in the diagnosis and management of MS.

Highlights of our program include:

National designation: We are a designated MS Comprehensive Care Center. This recognition means our specialists are highly trained and experienced in exceptional MS care.

Robust research: UCLA Health doctors design and participate in novel clinical trials, allowing patients access to the newest treatment options. Our top priority is finding treatments to improve disabilities in MS patients. We continually learn more about MS through this research and use this knowledge to enhance patient care in real time.

Emphasis on training: We commit to teaching the next generation of leaders in multiple sclerosis care and research. Our specialists train undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in MS treatment delivery and discovery.

Our Areas of Care

UCLA Health offers patients with MS access to additional resources. Our MS program includes:

Research

Our clinicians use a “Bedside to Bench to Bedside” approach:

• Bedside = clinical observations
• Bench = research to determine mechanism of clinical observation
• Bedside = novel clinical trials

In other words, patient care informs what we research, and our research informs how we care for patients. Our research efforts have achieved global recognition through national and international awards, as well as consistent funding through the National Institutes of Health and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, as well as other philanthropic donor partners.

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic nervous system disorder. In MS, the immune system attacks the fatty substance that surrounds and protects nerves (myelin). Over time, the myelin breakdown can lead to scar tissue buildup (sclerosis). When this occurs, the nerves have trouble sending electrical signals to the brain as they should. If often starts with the inflammatory phase characterized by relapses and remissions, then transitions to the progressive phase characterized by disability worsening in the absence of relapses.

MS symptoms can vary significantly. Some people have minor symptoms, while others have frequent and severe symptoms. MS may cause:

• Difficulty walking
• Slower thinking
• Fatigue
• Muscle weakness
• Numbness or tingling
• Speech changes
• Tremors or involuntary muscle movements (spasms)
• Vision changes, such as double vision or color distortion

Multiple Sclerosis Tests and Treatments We Offer

Whether you have symptoms that could be MS or you’re already diagnosed, our experts can help. We provide a full range of services to diagnose MS, manage symptoms and improve your quality of life.

MS Diagnosis

To diagnose MS, patients usually have a range of tests. Our specialists may use:

• Blood tests to rule out conditions that could have symptoms similar to MS
• Evoked potential tests to check if certain areas of the brain send or receive sensory messages more slowly than usual
• MRI to check inflammatory lesions or scar tissue on the brain or spinal cord
• Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) to check cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to rule out an infection or check for the antibodies that could point to an MS diagnosis
• Visual tests to check for changes in eyesight
• Evoked potential tests to check if certain areas of the brain send or receive sensory messages more slowly than usual

MS Treatment

There’s no known cure for MS. But there are over 20 FDA-approved treatments now available that reduce the immune cells from the blood in going to the brain or spinal cord to cause lesions. Less immune attacks result in less long-term disability. There are not drugs FDA-approved to repair disabilities directly, but this is a major focus of the MS Program at UCLA Health, development of such neuroprotective treatments. Our MS specialists help people with MS manage symptoms and reduce and treat flare-ups as well as develop long-term solutions to reduce or halt disability progression. MS treatment may include:

• Medications: Some medicines reduce inflammation and slow the progression of MS. Others, such as steroids, can help speed recovery from an MS flare-up. With over 20 MS treatments now available, ranging from pills to infusions, it is important to see an MS expert to develop the most effective treatment plan tailored for your MS clinical issues. Our MS experts can tailor for each patient the most optimal treatment to maximize efficacy in treatment diseases minimizing treatment side effects, as appropriate for each patient's age and sex.
• Rehabilitation services: Many people with MS benefit from physical therapy or occupational therapy. A physical therapist can help you learn to use assistive devices such as canes or walkers. They also help you improve motor skills, muscle strength, mobility, balance and function. An occupational therapist can teach techniques to help you perform daily activities and enhance your independence.

Contact Us

Call 310-794-1195 to request an appointment with a multiple sclerosis specialist at UCLA Health.

Meet Our Team

Our specialists offer a wide range of services to help people with MS live well. We continually research and implement the newest treatments. Our team also includes leaders who train the next generation of clinicians.

UCLA Health Westwood Clinical Staff:

• Lupita Diaz Navarro, nurse practitioner
• David Andrade, clinic scheduling coordinator
• Pedro Del Rosario, clinic scheduling coordinator
• Anmol Kaur, patient coordinator
• Ynez Tongson, patient coordinator