The Significance of World MS Day: Barry Hendin, MD

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The neurologist from Banner Health and chief medical officer of the MS Association of America provided perspective on the global impact World MS Day can have on the patient and clinician community.

"It seems that all of us believe that the more we can heighten awareness, the more we can connect to our local institutions and local providers. It’s more about the value of voices, and more connectivity.”

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (CNS) and is thought to be an immune-mediated disorder, in which the immune system incorrectly attacks healthy tissue in the CNS. This year, May 30 marks World MS Day, a day of recognition and awareness towards the disease that affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide currently diagnosed.

The debilitating disease has a number of different types of symptoms associated with it, including fatigue, numbness and tingling, blurred vision, double vision, poor coordination, imbalance, pain, depression, and problems with memory and concentration. Most patients are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50 years, although children and older adults may develop it as well.

For Barry Hendin, MD, the global connectivity is the most important aspect of the effort, noting that MS is not subject to the US, but the entire world. Hendin, a neurologist at Banner Health and chief medical officer of the MS Association of America, sat down to discuss the importance of World MS Day and the resources available to patients living with the disease.