WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1858/96 by Hedwig KEPPELHOFF-WIECHERT to the Commission. Establishing the causes of mMultiple sclerosis
Date: 1996-07-05
Institutions: European Parliament, KEPPELHOFF-WIECHERT
Subjects: exchange of information, medical research, scientific cooperation, therapeutics













EUR-Lex - 91996E1858 - EN






Avis juridique important




|



91996E1858

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1858/96 by Hedwig KEPPELHOFF-WIECHERT to the Commission. Establishing the causes of mMultiple sclerosis  


Official Journal C 385 , 19/12/1996 P. 0051 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1858/96 by Hedwig Keppelhoff-Wiechert (PPE) to the Commission (5 July 1996)Subject: Establishing the causes of mMultiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis is a relatively common disease in Europe and is so far incurable. It is not notifiable. Treatment has so far only been able to alleviate the symptoms, but not remove the causes. A register might prove helpful in establishing the causes of this disease, so as to pinpoint common factors in the incidence of this disease and to take whatever measures are required. Existing information, findings and successes in therapy could then be pooled for the benefit of all.1. Does the Commission agree that the introduction of a register for this disease in the EU might facilitate efforts to establish the causes of this disease?2. If so, what framework does the Commission see for drawing up such a register?3. Does the Commission consider that the establishment of a register could reduce public health costs, since the exchange of medical findings would lead to an improvement in treatment?Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (10 September 1996)Multiple sclerosis is the most common of the demyelinating diseases and is among the most common primary diseases of the central nervous system. As indirectly pointed out in the question there is no simple and easy explanation about the onset and the early pathogenesis of the disease. It is also generally accepted that the treatment is mostly palliative and not directed to the causation.Monitoring and surveillance of cases of multiple sclerosis can be of value in describing the frequency and the geographical distribution of the disease but is of little help in establishing its aetiology. Moreover, reporting on the disease can only be effected from the time of appearance of clinical symptoms which is usually a long time after onset. This further diminishes the usefulness of reporting in the research of causes, as does the multifactorial nature of the disease.For these reasons the Commission has no intention to promote the creation of registers for multiple sclerosis. Moreover, the development of appropriate indicators to assist in the planning and allocation of resources and evaluation of programmes and activities may be supported under the proposed programme on health monitoring on which the Council has already adopted a common position.As for the possibility of making multiple sclerosis a notifiable disease this is only done for diseases with a defined aetiology and pathogenesis and in most cases the diseases are communicable.The Commission is following the developments in this area with interest and has supported the research in this area through the four medical and health research programme (MHRs) and the two biomedical and health research programmes (Biomed 1 and 2).