Episode 465: On Being an MS Specialist In A Country That Believed MS Was Non-Existent with Dr. Avinash Chandra

During his fellowship in the United States, Dr. Avinash Chandra trained to become an MS specialist at a world-class MS center. Then he returned home to Nepal and discovered that MS was largely considered non-existent. But Dr. Chandra knew it wasn't.

In this week's episode, Dr. Chandra discusses his experience creating a framework for MS care in Nepal that hadn't existed before. He also explains the necessary trade-offs in providing costly medical treatment in a country where the average family of four lives on an income of $500 a month.

It's been well-established that males living with MS tend to experience faster and more severe disease progression than females. We're sharing results of a study that shows clear differences in healthcare use by sex up to a decade before the onset of MS.

We'll tell you about a newly published review of 30 years of data measuring the efficacy of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT).

And we're sharing the registration details for ECTRIMS Community Patient Day (it's a free live and online event you won't want to miss!)

We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??!

This Week: MS care in a country that considered MS non-existent :22

A study analyzed sex differences in healthcare usage between males and females with MS up to a decade before the first MS symptom develops 1:45

30 years of accumulated data show significant benefits of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in treating relapsing forms of MS 6:17

It's time to support the National MS Society's $119.6 million active investment in MS research 9:32

Dr. Avniash Chandra discusses MS care in Nepal 12:43

Share this episode 35:40

Next week 36:01

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LINKS

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STUDY: Sex Differences in Healthcare Use Before the First Multiple Sclerosis-Related Demyelinating Event
https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(26)00396-2/fulltext

PLAIN ENGLISH SUMMARY: Sex Differences in Healthcare Use Before the First Multiple Sclerosis-Related Demyelinating Event
https://tremlettsmsresearchexplained.wordpress.com/2026/07/22/sex-differences-in-healthcare-use-before-the-first-multiple-sclerosis-related-demyelinating-event-explained

LISTEN: Dr. Helen Tremlett Discusses the MS Prodrome
https://realtalkms.com/321

STUDY: Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Multiple Sclerosis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41482159

REGISTER: ECTRIMS Patient Community Day
https://ectrimspatientcommunity.eu

SUPPORT: National MS Society Research
https://nationalmssociety.org/research

JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group
https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms

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RealTalk MS Episode 465
Guest: Dr. Avinash Chandra

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