Activity Chair

Patricia K. Coyle, MD, FAAN, FANA

Professor and Vice Chair (Clinical Affairs)

Department of Neurology

Director

Stony Brook MS Comprehensive Care Center

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, NY

Faculty

Anne H. Cross, MD

Professor

Department of Neurology

Washington University School of Medicine

The Manny and Rosalyn Rosenthal - Dr John L. Trotter Chair in MS

St. Louis, MO

Patricia Melville, MSN, NP-C, MSCN

Clinical Instructor

Department of Neurology

Stony Brook MS Comprehensive Care Center

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, NY

Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD

SUNY Distinguished Professor

Professor of Neurology

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

SUNY

Buffalo, NY

Overview

For a variety of reasons, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are living longer. The increasing prevalence of MS in this population is intimately tied to the weakening of both the innate and adaptive components of the immune system over time. This phenomenon, referred to as immunosenescence, is linked to another natural aging process—chronic low-grade inflammation, or “inflamm-aging.” Collectively, these processes create an environment conducive to ongoing neurodegeneration and disease progression in older patients with MS. Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are the standard of care treatment for MS; however, their safety and efficacy in older adult patients remain largely unknown, due to the lack of older patients enrolled in pivotal clinical trials. In the absence of evidence-based guidance, the use of DMTs in older adult patients with MS remains controversial. It is also unclear whether DMTs can be discontinued safely in older patients with stable disease. Additionally, the advanced age of these patients makes them as vulnerable, if not more, to age-related comorbidities, which also must be factored into management strategies for their overall care. In this CE program, The Changing Face of Multiple Sclerosis: Addressing the Demographic Shift Towards Elderly Patients, experts in the field will present didactic information and cases to summarize evidence-based, individualized approaches to treating older adult patients with MS, including the risks and benefits of using DMTs as well as the contributions of aging, age-related immune changes, and immunosenescence in the pathophysiology of MS in older adults.

Agenda

6:30 AM Registration and Breakfast

7:00 AM Introduction and Pretest

7:05 AM Epidemiology and Pathophysiology of MS in the Elderly

Anne H. Cross, MD

7:15 AM Current Approaches in the Treatment of MS in the Elderly

Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD

7:30 AM Treating Elderly Patients With MS: Comorbidities, Risk-Benefit Considerations

Patricia Melville, MSN, NP-C, MSCN

7:40 AM Case Presentations: MS Treatment in the Elderly

Patricia K. Coyle, MD, FAAN, FANA

7:50 AM Posttest and Question & Answer

8:00 AM Conclusion

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

Physician and Pharmacist

• Determine the roles of aging, age-related immune changes, and immunosenescence in the pathophysiology of MS in the elderly.
• Employ current approaches to treating elderly patients with MS, including the risks and benefits of using of DMTs.
• Apply individualized management plans for elderly patients with MS that take comorbidities, disability, mobility, and cognitive dysfunction into consideration.

Nurse

• Explain the roles of aging, age-related immune changes, and immunosenescence in the pathophysiology of MS in the elderly.
• Assess current approaches to treating elderly patients with MS, including the risks and benefits of using of DMTs.
• Evaluate individualized management plans for elderly patients with MS that take comorbidities, disability, mobility, and cognitive dysfunction into consideration.

Target Audience

The intended audience for this activity is neurologists, neurology nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals involved in the management of patients with MS.

This continuing education activity is provided by Vindico Medical Education.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from EMD Serono, Inc.

This symposium is neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers.

Vindico Medical Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Vindico Medical Education designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Vindico Medical Education is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Vindico Medical Education will provide a maximum of 1.0 contact hours for nurses. Nurses should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Vindico Medical Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

This program is acceptable for 1.0 contact hour of ACPE Continuing Education Credit. The ACPE Universal Program Number 0482-0000-22-013-L01-P, effective 06/04/2022. This is a knowledge-based activity, and there is no fee to attend.

Vindico Medical Education will provide pharmacist credits claimed information directly to the ACPE through CPE Monitor within 30 days.

Vindico Medical Education adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest will be mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Faculty, topics, program schedule, and credit hours are subject to change. Recording of any manner is prohibited without written permission from Vindico Medical Education, Office of Medical Affairs and Compliance.