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IJMSC August 2026 Research Roundup
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The full arc of living with multiple sclerosis, from how symptoms shape daily quality of life to how people approach decisions at the end of life.
The research published by the International Journal of MS Care (IJMSC) in August 2026 spans the full arc of living with multiple sclerosis (MS), from how symptoms shape daily quality of life to how people approach decisions at the end of life. Two articles from the CMSC Aging and MS theme series tackle multidisciplinary care and disease-modifying therapy (DMT) decisions for older adults, while original research explores end-of-life perspectives in Saskatchewan, racial differences in symptom burden and health-related quality of life, and the cognitive and psychological contributors to standing balance.
Bringing Geriatric Care Into MS Care for Older Adults
Drawing on the 2024 CMSC Aging and MS Consensus Conference, Stewart, Stacom, et al review what is known about multidisciplinary care and access barriers for older adults with MS. Because MS-specific evidence is sparse, the authors borrow from the broader geriatric literature, where comprehensive geriatric assessment has been linked to fewer hospitalizations, lower costs, and improved frailty outcomes. They map access barriers across availability, affordability, transportation, and equity, noting that nearly 20% of Medicare beneficiaries with MS travel 50 miles or more each way for neurologic care. Recommendations include building geriatric assessment into MS clinics, expanding telehealth and home-based care, and recognizing ageism and ableism as barriers to quality care.
End-of-Life Perspectives When Medical Assistance in Dying Is an Option
In what the authors believe is the first qualitative study of its kind, Brown et al interviewed 22 people with MS and 5 key informants in Saskatchewan, a province with one of the world's highest MS prevalence rates, about end of life where medical assistance in dying (MAID) is legal. Three themes emerged: retaining self-agency, combating stigma, and leaning into hope and positivity. Participants valued decision-making autonomy but recognized that cognitive change could complicate it, so they relied on family and clinicians for cues about their cognition. The authors call for open, nonjudgmental conversations among people with MS, families, and care teams throughout the disease course.
Weighing DMT Continuation, Discontinuation, and De-Escalation After 55
Although 46% of US adults with MS are 55 or older, most pivotal DMT trials excluded this group, leaving clinicians with little direct evidence, according to a second theme series review by Corboy, Morrow, et al. The authors synthesize observational data and the DISCOMS and DOT-MS discontinuation trials, which show that recurrence risk is concentrated in younger patients with recent disease activity. For clinically stable people older than 60, stopping DMT mainly carried an added risk of 1 to 2 new MRI lesions of unclear long-term significance, while risks such as infection, malignancy, and vascular effects may rise with age. Continuing, discontinuing, or de-escalating can each be reasonable, the authors conclude, as long as clinical and MRI monitoring continues.
Which Symptoms Drive Quality of Life in Black and White People With MS
Huynh et al surveyed 136 Black and 273 White adults with MS on walking impairment, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). In both groups, walking impairment and fatigue were the strongest correlates of physical HRQOL after adjusting for age and household income. For mental HRQOL, the picture diverged: anxiety and depression were both significant among White participants, whereas anxiety alone remained significant among Black participants. Contrary to the authors' hypothesis, Black participants reported less fatigue and depression and better mental HRQOL, which they suggest may reflect resilience and social support.
Cognition, Fear of Falling, and Standing Balance
Monaghan et al measured sway with inertial sensors as 54 ambulatory people with MS stood under 4 progressively harder conditions, varying eyes open or closed and feet apart or together. Processing speed (Symbol Digit Modalities Test) was tied to sway in the easiest condition, while attention (Trail Making Test part A) and concern about falling took over as predictors once vision was removed. Concern about falling was the strongest independent predictor in the hardest condition, even after adjusting for age, sex, and disability. The authors suggest brief cognitive screens and the Falls Efficacy Scale-International may add useful context to fall-risk assessments.
Taken together, August's research makes a case for looking past the neurological exam alone. Whether the question is how to care for an aging population, which symptoms to target first, what predicts a fall, or how people want to approach the end of life, these studies point toward care that accounts for age, cognition, emotional health, and personal values.
IJMSC also published the 128 accepted abstracts from the 2026 Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (RiMS) Conference in August, offering an early look at emerging MS rehabilitation research.
All IJMSC articles are free to read at IJMSC.org.
