Center Addresses Needs of the Sick from Israel and All Over the World

A new center for Multiple Sclerosis was inaugurated recently at the Hadassah University Hospital in Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem.  It will give multi-disciplinary treatment to people who suffer from MS, and will serve as their medical support system for them along the years. The center opens in the initiative of Professor Dimitrios Karussis, a senior neurologist at Hadassah established the new center, with the assistance of Professor Oded Abramsky, former Head of Hadassah's Neurology Department, and Professor Tamir Ben-Hur, the current head of the department.

In Israel there are 3000-4000 people who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis. One third of them are treated at Hadassah.  In addition, Hadassah also treats many MS patients who come to Jerusalem from various countries from all over the world for accurate diagnosis and therapeutic consultation.

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, involving inflammation of the central nervous system, in which the immune system attacks certain proteins within the brain, called Myelin, which envelop the brain nerves. This slows down the pace of nerve impulses they send.   As a result, the nervous system is damaged, affecting several neurological systems: feeling/perception, motor skill, balance, and systems of sphincter and vision.  The disease manifests in the ages of 20 to 40, and can persist for 30 years and longer. The new Hadassah center will play a major role in providing the patients with support and follow up along the years.

The new Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Hadassah will offer treatment from MS neurological specialists, rehabilitation experts, advisors in the fields of Urology and Ophthalmology, and social workers.