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Sunday, December 13, 2009

Review Article Anomalous venous blood flow and iron deposition in multiple sclerosis



Ajay Vikram Singh1 and Paolo Zamboni2

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is primarily an autoimmune disorder of unknown origin. This review focuses iron overload and oxidative stress as surrounding cause that leads to immunomodulation in chronic MS. Iron overload has been demonstrated in MS lesions, as a feature common with other neurodegenerative disorders. However, the recent description of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) associated to MS, with significant anomalies in cerebral venous outflow hemodynamics, permit to propose a parallel with chronic venous disorders (CVDs) in the mechanism of iron deposition. Abnormal cerebral venous reflux is peculiar to MS, and was not
found in a miscellaneous of patients affected by other neurodegenerative disorders characterized by iron stores, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Several recently published studies support the hypothesis that MS progresses along the venous vasculature. The
peculiarity of CCSVI-related cerebral venous blood flow disturbances, together with the histology of the perivenous spaces and recent findings from advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques, support the hypothesis that iron deposits in MS are a consequence of altered cerebral venous return and chronic insufficient venous drainage.

Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (2009) 29, 1867–1878; doi:10.1038/jcbfm.2009.180; published online
2 September 2009

2 comments:

Stephen Duplantier said...

Does an inclined bed provide enough gravity flow to counteract the poor venous blood flow?

Unknown said...

Yes, this appears to be the case. Warmer hands and feet at night sleeping inclined is the first indication of improvements, followed by improved skin tone and muscle tone.

The heart rate is slower on an Inclined Bed, 10-12 beats per minute slower, yet the circulation increases!