Multiple Sclerosis: A Case Study

Gina is a 21-year old nursing student who saw her primary health care provider after experiencing episodic blurred vision, fatigue, poor motor coordination and urinary incontinence. Her neurological exam revealed mild ataxia and mild weakness in her left leg without severe spasticity. MRI scan of the brain reveals multiple plagues indicative of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, immune mediated disease of the central nervous system (CNS) (Definition of MS). This disease is estimated to affect more than 400,000 people in the United States alone, and about 2.5 million worldwide. In the United States, about 200 new cases of MS are discovered weekly (Pietrangelo, Anne and Higuera, Valencia) . In a healthy person, an insulation covering called myelin, coats the nerve fibers in the CNS (Article from mom). When one develops MS, the communication between their brain and other parts of his/her body is disrupted as “an abnormal immune-mediated response” attacks the myelin coating that encloses nerve fibers in the CNS. This causes a disturbance in communication between the CNS and

When considering this information, keep in mind that while you may not have MS, a lot of people do, and are diagnosed with it every day. Raising awareness about MS and getting more people involved is one of the best things you can do to helps others suffering with this

Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease that affects the central nervous system, which includes but is not limited to the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Within the CNS the immune system attacks myelin sheaths, which are fatty membranes surrounding the axon of a neuron. Overtime the damaged myelin sheath forms scar tissue called sclerosis, which is what gives the disease its name. When scleroses are formed on the myelin sheath, nerve impulses that travel to and from the brain and spinal cord are dramatically slowed and sometimes even completely blocked. Consequently the muscular system is not able to function properly, which is what gives MS such crippling symptoms.

A review of the records reveals the member to be an adult female with a birth date of 08/15/1953. The member has a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. The member’s treating provider, Juan Barrera, MD recommended the member treatment using the prescription medication H.P. Acthar Gel 80 units/ml vial for an acute exacerbation of her multiple sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a rare disease that directly disables the central nervous system (CNS). While there has been some recent studies, there still isn’t enough research for scientist to classify the exact causes of MS. However, all researchers declare that the causation of MS is a direct impact of the disease “attacking” the central nervous system, which leads to a disruption of the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body (National MS Society). When there is a disturbance within the CNS, signals within the brain and from the brain to the body are altered, which can have devastating effects on patients. MS is a mysterious disease that still has a lot of research to be conducted in order for scientist and doctors

“Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) and is the most common causes of nontraumatic disability among young and middle-aged adults”. There are four types of multiple sclerosis the most common is Clinically isolated Syndrome (CIS) , Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS), Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS), and Primary Progressive MS (PPMS).

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has effective and safe treatment options, such as disease-modifying treatments (DMTs), which reduce symptoms and improve long-term outcomes such as lowering risks for MS-related hospitalization, MS-related disability [often measured using Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)], MS relapse, and lessening MS-related medical costs in patients affected with Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS). Despite the availability of various treatments in the market for treating MS, consensus about the effectiveness of these treatments is still lacking as very few clinical trials conducted head-to-head comparisons of these treatments.

Based on the fact that there is an intricate system of sensory nerves within the inside of the ears there is a possibility of a correlation between Kathy’s hearing loss and Multiple Sclerosis but it is exceedingly rare. Approximately 6% of MS patients complain about impaired hearing. Out of this select few, patients that obtain deafness due to MS are extremely unusual. While the occurrence of hearing loss is uncommon, it is possible. Multiple Sclerosis ultimately affects the central nervous system which includes the brain and spinal cord. There are a few different ways MS can contribute to hearing loss; scarring or inflammation around the eighth cranial nerve, plaques along the auditory pathway, MS relapse, or by other causes that suggest damage

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that damages the myelin covering on the nerves, which interrupts signals from the brain to the body, often making movement and speech difficult. Effects of multiple sclerosis vary from patient to patient. Some deteriorate rapidly, while others may experience the effects of MS much more slowly. The causes of multiple sclerosis are not known for sure. Some doctors have guessed that it comes from environmental factors, while others believe that genetics play an important role. Currently, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis. Doctors can slow down its effects to a point, but once a patient progresses beyond that, there is nothing anyone can do. There is not much known definitely

The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation estimates that more than 400,000 people in the United States and about 2.5 million people around the world have MS. About 200 new cases are diagnosed each week in the United States. Rates of MS are higher farther from the equator. (Higuera)

Unlike a number of the other illnesses that book discussed, Multiple Sclerosis is not curable. For the most part, this disease attacks the immune system however; Schneider (2004) claims that there are number of self-healing treatment options that can slow down the progression of the disorder and trigger some level of remission. I student chose this disease because it brings to light, although an illness cannot be cured, there are things one can self-administer that bring some level of relief and quality of life. In examining this illness, one must also consider that it affects a person’s mobility with the onset of dystrophy. Most common is the loss of strength in the arms and over time a limp, sometime after that, the person will be unable

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune mediated disease of the central nervous system, this progressive neurological disability is commonly found in young adults (Compston & Cole, 2002). Due to the intrusiveness and unpredictability of MS, people with MS experience difficulties in managing their illness while employed (Devins, Seland, Klein, Edworthy, & Saary, 1993; Devins & Shnek, 2000). According to McKeown et al. (2003) and Rudick (1998) the disease occurs: “between the ages of 20 and 50 years in 90% of cases. The disease strikes people during the peak years of their education, career development and family life, significantly impacting their ability to stay in the workforce.” Fraser et al. (2002) research

The word sclerosis comes from the Greek ‘skleros’ meaning hard. In multiple sclerosis, hard areas called ‘plaques’ (also known as lesions or scars) develop around the damaged nerves. ‘Multiple’ refers to the many different areas of the central nervous system that may have damaged myelin.1

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease. What this means is that the immune system is failing. Their cells are “confused” and begin to attack the body itself, in this case, the nervous system. When it works well, the immune system protects the body from infections, viruses and bacteria by destroying the foreign bodies that invade it. Stem cells are cells that have the ability to renew themselves and specialize into different cell types. Although , currently, there are few available stem cell transplant treatments that have been scientifically proven to be safe and effective.