Multiple Sclerosis and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease that causes demyelination in the Central Nervous System. This disease affects 500 thousand people in the USA and about 2.5 million worldwide.

Other damages it manifests include axon damage, inflammation of the meningeal membranes (the membranes that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord), peripheral nerve damage, changes in the retina, blood vessel changes, and small red spots on the skin called petechiae, caused by leakage from the capillaries under the skin.

The weakest point of the vascular system is where the capillaries join with the veins. The permeability (passability) of blood vessels increases with increased pressure in the capillaries, allowing the exit or migration (extravasation) of fluids and white cells (diapedesis), passing through the walls of the blood vessels (endothelium) i.e., their movement into the surrounding tissues. This occurs as a counter-response to inflammation and exposure to toxic substances.

Endothelial cell receptors respond to the inflammatory stimulus by increasing the permeability (passability) of the postcapillary venules, thus inflammation causes the leakage of fluids from the venules outside. Some researchers believe that this weak point of the vascular system might be the cause of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

In the past twenty years, numerous medical studies conducted worldwide have positioned Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and its effective role in the treatment program of Multiple Sclerosis.

In some European countries, not only is HBOT primary in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, but it is also reimbursed by health insurance. In the past 30 years, the British charity association has conducted more than 1.5 million HBOT treatments for Multiple Sclerosis in 100 centers dedicated to MS treatment.

In the United States of America, HBOT has a controversial history. Many reports have "proven" several times that it is not effective. Today, it is not considered a primary treatment, is not reimbursable by health insurance, and is often difficult to access this therapy.

However, the discrepancy between how the USA perceives the role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the treatment of MS and the widespread use of this therapy in other countries necessitates further detailed studies to globally recognize the role of this therapy in treating MS.

Researchers show that the effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy depends on the total number of treatment sessions with this therapy, the duration and pressure used, the type of hyperbaric chamber, patients and the type of MS, the way results are documented, treatments, and subsequent checks.

Studies confirm that the improvements achieved after HBOT treatment in patients with MS become stable when the treatment is continuous and not interrupted.

HBOT is the only known treatment to date that changes the course (flow) of Multiple Sclerosis by improving the patient's condition.