Multiple sclerosis (MS) has long been known as an autoimmune disorder that affects more people living in the Pacific Northwest than most anywhere else, but just why that is remains a mystery. Today researchers have begun unraveling some new theories from a new set of patients; the number of kids diagnosed with MS is on the rise.
In collaboration with the KUOW Program Venture Fund, InvestigateWest followed a Silverdale, Wash., high school senior who was diagnosed with MS at age 14. Reporter Carol Smith talked to the doctors and researchers in the Northwest who are on the trail of the disease, looking for an answer to the ultimate question: Could studying young patients lead to new treatments to keep a new generation of MS patients as healthy as possible for as long as possible?
Jason was InvestigateWest's associate director. A veteran of technology projects and online strategy for the nonprofit sector, he is a graduate of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and Graduate School of Journalism.
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Providence has accused nurses and other staff of violating patient privacy laws
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