In Russia, hospitals offer to treat multiple sclerosis with stem cell treatment. In France, doctors are more reserved on this subject.
Fouzi Bouraghda, 31, chose to go to Russia for surgery. Suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) for 5 years, the Roubaisien will undergo a stem cell transplant. AT 20 minutes, he explains that this therapy is his “last chance” to be able to stop the disease. This type of operation can be performed in France, but is rarely practiced.
An autoimmune disease
Today, the treatments offered to people with MS consist of slowing the progression of symptoms and reducing them. This autoimmune disease affects the central nervous system and occurs in the form of an attack: the myelin, which protects the nerve fibers, is affected. Patients may experience muscle weakness, tingling or visual loss.
A reset of immune cells
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation takes place in several stages: first cells of this type are taken from patients and then cultured in the laboratory. Then, their immune system is reset, before implanting the new cells.
A risky treatment
In 20 minutes, Professor Patrick Vermersch, neurologist and MS specialist, explains why French doctors are cautious about this new treatment. “A dozen people have undergone this type of transplant in our departments in Lille, he explains. It works, but it is a very heavy treatment and can be dangerous. Three patients spent weeks in intensive care. The risk of mortality would be between 0.5 and 1%. According to a newspaper article The world, around 1,280 MS patients have received this type of operation since the end of 2018 in Europe. Only 18 of them took place in France. In Russia, patients must pay between 50 and 80,000 euros to be able to have the operation.
The conclusive results of a 2017 study
In 2017, a study published in the journal Neurology analyzed the effects of autologous stem cell therapy in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Thanks to a clinical trial conducted on 24 patients, the researchers concluded that the efficacy was satisfactory: 69% of the participants no longer had symptoms during the 5 years following the treatment.
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