Participants needed for multiple sclerosis study
Northwest Illinois residents with multiple sclerosis are being asked by the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford to participate in a state-funded study to determine the number of area people with the disease.
MS results when the immune system attacks myelin, the protective insulation surrounding nerve fibers of the central nervous system affecting coordination, balance and vision.
Study participants must be 18 or older, have been diagnosed with MS by a health professional and have lived in Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, Henry, Jo Daviess, La Salle, Lee, Ogle, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside or Winnebago counties on July 1 this year.
Joel Cowen, assistant dean for Health Systems Research, said the voluntary program would link demographic, socioeconomic and environmental factors to the distribution of MS to see whether certain characteristics might be associated with MS. By studying a large region, he said, researchers expect to find that some areas may be higher than others. Names of participants are kept confidential.
Those interested in taking part can enroll at the study Web site,
www.rockford.medicine.uic.edu. Or they can call Health Systems Research at 1-800-854-4461 or 815-395-5639. Or they can e-mail program directors at
hsr@uic.edu.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Research & Studies