Multiple Sclerosis: An Autoimmune Disease

Identify one health condition and discuss its impact on an individual and/or the wider society.

There are many debilitating side effects and symptoms that accompany Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In MS, the immune system essentially fights itself and attacks its own body’s cells, causing progressive damage in the brain and spinal chord. Some key symptoms and side effects of the disease are vision problems, muscle weakness, and trouble walking or speaking. However, this is not it, There are many more side effects and symptoms that very between individuals. Some of the symptoms that haven't thoroughly been researched are the changes that occur in the brain of an MS patient, especially a pediatric MS patient. There are several existing hypothesis about Multiple Sclerosis’ debilitating effects in the brain, but no concrete research done on the

MS is characterized by the destruction of myelin, inflammation in the CNS and the formation of lesions in the CNS.

M.S., as some would call it, also known as multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease. This disease, in particular, could also be viewed as an autoimmune disorder. It is not nearly as fatal as the sexually transmitted disease (AIDS), yet it can be just as debilitating. What exactly is Multiple Sclerosis? Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system malfunctions and begins to attack the myelin sheath. The myelin sheath is an insulating cover

Multiple sclerosis, or MS as it is more commonly referred, is an immune mediated disease that involves the body's own defense mechanism, specialized immune cells, that ultimately attacks the central nervous system. Specifically, the myelin protein that coats axons and forms an electrically insulating layer for quicker processing of the nervous system, is attacked by cytotoxic cells that have crossed into the CNS. In a healthy patient, the blood brain barrier cannot be crossed by cytotoxic cells and it is speculated that an environmental component or outside source mediates this crossing. When the myelin is attacked, it forms scars in the CNS, as multiple sclerosis literally translates to “many scars,” which is the direct result of the disease. The scars disrupt the normal nerve impulses that travel through the central nervous system, and can cause a variety of symptoms including loss of cognition, fatigue, or numbness in the body (Evidence).

If you know anyone with Multiple Sclerosis or MS, you would know how terrible the disease is. Multiple Sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which your immune system attacks the nerve cell covers in the brain and spine are damaged. The nerves in the body eventually deteriorate and it is fatal. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the cause of Multiple sclerosis is still unknown. There is not a cure at the moment for Multiple Sclerosis, but there are treatments that can speed recovery when attacked by the disease (Mayo Clinic). Scientists are under the impressions that there are a few factors that may come into play. They say that when they discover the exact cause of Multiple Sclerosis it will be easier to find a way to treat the disease or maybe even stop it from happening at all. (National Multiple Sclerosis Society)

The cause of MS is still not clear. In recent years, scientists have successfully discovered several different things about Multiple Sclerosis. They have

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is autoimmune, inflammatory disease involving the central nervous system (CNS). This disease is a result of the immune system attacking myelin proteins. Usually affecting younger people between the ages of 20 and 50 years, multiple sclerosis slowly destroys the myelin sheath that are located in the CNS causing them to eventually create scleroses, or hardened lesions. Symptoms of multiple sclerosis can be different, but visual, sensory, and motor signs are usually affected with this disease. Some early symptoms care problems like blurred or double vision, numbness, loss of balance, and weakness in arms or legs, as well as fatigue, muscle spasms, speech problems. Approximately 400,000 people in the United States and 2.5 million people worldwide are affected by multiple sclerosis (Hersh and Fox, 2014). Educating ones self about multiple sclerosis is important because it has many unanswered questions. There are many theories and treatments that may seem like they work, but there is no cure or definite reason why MS happens. Multiple sclerosis is also a disease that affects many people and is very hard to treat.

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that affects nearly one-quarter million American of which most are

the fact that there are many more cases in the northern latitudes than in the

Normally, when a person is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis there is an immediate impact on all people who love them most. People with multiple sclerosis are constantly in need of assistance to do their daily tasks since their cognitive and functional impairments. This care is provided by informal caregivers who take care of the patient without being paid for their services. Eventually, the patient and carers are placed under immense strain and burden of the disease.

MS disease has no definite cause. It is rather triggered by multiple factors that work together to result in the disease. According to Medscape, the disease is a result of a combination of infection and/or exposure to chemicals and genetic predisposition to immune system failure (Luzzio & Talavera, 2017). The immune system malfunction destroys myelin. Women are more likely to have MS than

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Demyelination affects white and grey matter (Kieseier and Stuve, 2011; Stadelman et al., 2011), and it is accompained by disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), inflammatory infiltrates consisting of monocyte-derived macrophages and lymphocytes, and axonal degeneration (Trapp and Nave, 2008). As a consequence, MS patients usually suffer from loss of motor and sensory function, and cognitive impairment.

Multiple Sclerosis or “MS” is a very different disease there isn’t an exact cause as to why MS occurs but researchers have stated that it affects the central nervous system of the body so the body is having a disruption of messages that are supposed to be sent to the brain (Danette). The central nervous system is made up of your spine, brain and optic nerves (eye nerves). The immune system become sensitized and will mistakenly attack myelin which is the neurons that let us think, see, speak, hear and feel and when that myelin is attacked at it, it makes those five important functions difficult to do but it’s different for every person (What is MS?).

Jean – Martin was the first neurologist to identify multiple sclerosis disease in 1868. Three major signs of MS are nystagmus, intention tremor, and telegraphic speech. Multiple sclerosis is also known disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminate which is an inflammatory disease in which of the nerve cells , brain and spinal cord becomes damaged. The damage of the nervous system causes the body to not be able to communicate, which results in signs and symptoms such as physical,mental and psychiatric problems. The cause of MS is not just yet clear but the underlying cause for it is to be either destruction by the immune system or failure of myelin- producing cells. It also includes genetics and environmental factors such as infections. MS have no cure for