A GLASGOW woman who was diagnosed with MS in her 20s has said advances in drug treatments have made the condition ‘much more manageable’ for Scots patients.

Samantha Moir, 34, from Parkhead was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS in 2014, the most common type which causes distinct relapses of symptoms which then fade away either partially or completely.

The 34-year-old said her life has been transformed by a new drug, Tecfidera, which has helped stabilised her condition for a number of years.

MS affects your brain and spinal cord as the coating that protects your nerves (myelin) is damaged, which can cause a range of symptoms from tremors to fatigue.

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Scotland has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with more than 11,000 people affected and studies are underway to look at the possible role of Vitamin D in the disease.

Samantha said: “I’m lucky in that the treatment I’m on just now has been stable and prevented any new lesions for a number of years but I know that’s not guaranteed to continue.

“The drug I take had only just been approved when I was diagnosed and prior to taking it I had five lesions in 14 months but since starting I’ve had no new ones.

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“It was also the first treatment you could take in tablet form so you can really see the progress being made year-on-year which is making a huge difference to people living with MS.”

There are currently 10 projects receiving funding from the MS Society and a further 48 across the UK and scientists are hopeful that a cure may not be far away.

Morna Simpkins, director of MS Society Scotland, said: “Finding more – and better – treatments for people with this often painful and exhausting condition is our priority as we continue to look for the breakthroughs that will one day produce a cure.”

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