Multiple Sclerosis Look around, chances are you or someone in the room either has or knows someone with multiple sclerosis. However, you probably would not be able to tell just by looking at someone if they have MS and that is arguably one of the most frustrating effects of MS. In fact there are a lot of frustrations related to this disease, it affects every patient differently, it is difficult to diagnose, symptoms are merely managed, it is unpredictable and life altering for those with it and for those that care for them. It is estimated that over two and a half million people worldwide are affected by MS. Two hundred new diagnosis are reported every week in the United States alone, and the numbers of cases are likely much higher than …show more content…
Brain signals can often not reach their destination because of the damage to the nerves. What causes the damage to the myelin? Basically, T-cells which are part of white blood cells. Normally, white blood cells attack foreign substances such as viruses and bacteria or other foreign tissues but in people with MS these cells get confused and attack myelin which is why MS is considered an autoimmune deficiency. MS is often disabling meaning that a wheelchair is needed. However, people with this disease suffer from a wide variety of problems, from trouble walking and maintaining balance, muscle weakness, spasms, pain, fatigue, sensation of numbness, and vision problems to name a few. These symptoms are often in recurring periods of time with worsening symptoms, people who suffer from MS have moments where the symptoms are hardly noticeable, and moments when the symptoms are very severe (NMSS). Even though, we understand that T-cells have gone rogue and cause the damage to the myelin no one understands why the T-cells start to attack the myelin to begin with. However, there is interesting data that suggest that genetics, a person's environment, and possibly even a virus may play a role”(WebMD). These theories have yet to be proven and subsequently prevents a cure. It is for that reason, symptoms are treated and managed to try to improve the life of people that have MS. Treatment typically focuses on speeding
Most MS patients start with the development of transient sensory loss due to the demyelination of the dorsal column, which may progress to motor symptoms including limb muscles weakness or muscle spasticity due the demyelinationg of the upper motor fibres such as corticospinal and corticobulbar tracts. Leg
1. Main point 2: So now that I have talked about what MS is, let us continue on to what the symptoms are and how it can be diagnosed. In most cases, the symptoms generally appear between the ages of 20 and 40 and affect more than twice as many women as men. Common indicators of MS are fatigue, dizziness, numbness and tingling, weakness, blurred vision, heat sensitivity, slurred speech, problems with memory and concentration, loss of balance and more. Sometimes the symptoms disappear completely and the person regains lost functions or sometimes a change in their life causes the symptoms to resurface and return stronger than ever. In my observations, my Dads’ MS is strongest in hot weather and during times of high stress. The symptoms normally vary from person to person, which makes it hard to diagnose. There are currently no lab tests that can be done to rule out or confirm MS, but MRI’s can help reach a strong diagnosis. MS is not considered a fatal disease, but many people struggle to live as productively as they desire, often facing many limitations.
Multiple Sclerosis, commonly known as MS is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Scientists have been studying MS since the 19th century. In MS, the body’s immune system produces cells and antibodies that attack myelin in your brain which is essential for the nerves in your brain and spinal cord to conduct electricity to perform its function. The attack on myelin results in vison loss, paralysis, numbness, muscle weakness, difficulty walking, stiffness, spasms, and bladder and bowel problems. MS has varying degrees of severity and affects people between the ages of 20-50, mostly women. Although there are treatments, there is no cause and cure yet.
Myelin covers nerve fibers and can cause communication problems between the brain and the rest of your body when diagnosed. MS can cause your nerves to deteriorate or become permanently damaged and is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system). if you pick up a hot pan by accident, your body is going to naturally want to drop the pan. Someone without MS would drop the pan right away. For someone with MS, your sensory neurons cannot send the signal to your brain and back to the motor neurons so you can drop the pan. MS can cause your nerves to deteriorate or become permanently damaged. MS is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous
Common symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) include aching and/or tingling sensations in parts of the body, numbness or weakness in the arms and legs, some or complete blindness, impaired vision (such as double or blurred vision), and sensations of shock during movements of the neck. Common symptoms also include shakes, loss
After going through my day as an individual with multiple sclerosis, I can now say that I understand more about this disease than I did before. If I were ever to encounter a patient who has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I now know what to expect from them. Giving them time to relax and not to rush them through any movements or exercises. Always making sure they are comfortable in the physical therapy setting, and even their home and outdoor environments. For those going through their everyday lives with multiple sclerosis, I would consider them strong and brave
From the how and why to the treatment, there are so many variables present, it is very difficult to diagnose as well as treat. The disease is often misdiagnosed because it mimics other symptoms. At times it is in the later stages when finally diagnosed. This disease also has many forms, so treatments are sometimes experimental until the form is identified. There are also many triggers once a patient has been diagnosed with MS and these are hard to treat. Because of the many variations of this disease, the many symptoms, triggers, and responses to medications, and the varied studies on patients with varied symptoms, MS remains a very mysterious disorder of the neuro-immune
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic nervous system disease that affects the brain, the spinal cord and optic nerves. Multiple sclerosis happens when the immune system damages or destroys a fatty element, myelin, that wraps and protects nerve fibers. The nerves become damaged and this means that the brain can not send signals through the body correctly. This can lead to many symptoms like: fatigue, vision problems, mobility problems and pain. This symptoms are very generalized and multiple sclerosis is very difficult to detect because is a slowly progressive disease, and symptoms do not appear all at once. Usually people who are diagnosed with MS are women of 20-40 years. The treatment can alleviate or control symptoms. Also it can slow disease
Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder where the myelin sheath within the Central Nervous System is attacked (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2017). The myelin sheath protects the axon of the nerve cell. When the myelin sheath is intact, the axon is able to carry impulses away from the neuron’s cell body, and the message carried is clear. With Multiple Sclerosis, the myelin sheath becomes scarred, hence the word “sclerosis”, and distorts the nerve impulses traveling over the CNS (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2017). This may cause the message to be changed or stopped altogether.
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease of the central nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. Both have nerve fibers that are wrapped in a myelin sheath. In MS, the myelin sheath becomes inflamed and gradually is destroyed. With the destruction of the myelin sheath comes an array of symptoms that may include numbness or tingling, balance problems, weakness, muscle spasms, and blurred vision.
“The most common early signs and symptoms of MS are vision problems, fatigue, tingling and numbness, vertigo, dizziness, muscle weakness and spasm, problems with balance and coordination.” Less common symptoms are speech and swallowing problems, cognitive dysfunction, difficulty walking, tremor, breathing problems,bladder and bowel dysfunction, Sexual dysfunction and mood swings and
Multiple Sclerosis has haunted my reality as a young child. I can recall an episode that lay at the beginning memories of my childhood. The steady shifting of the bed and the sudden spike in heat surrounding me woke me from my peaceful slumber to find my grandma having a M.S episode. Multiple Sclerosis was a word that always lingered in my family at every turn, but never had I known the true meaning. Diseases are commonly discussed in television programs, papers, and daily conversation, but the normal course of the discussion goes towards scientific findings and the implementation of treatment options what science has created to cure. The disease is never really discussed in its entirety; neither are there enough discoveries on how to stop
Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating nervous system disease that wreaks havoc on the brain and spinal cord. It causes severe damage to the myelin sheath that covers and protects your nerve cells. The damage to these protective sheaths prevents proper communication between nerve cells and slowing down or preventing communication between your brain and body, which then causes the various symptoms of the disease.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). (3)
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurologic disease that affects the Central Nervous System (CNS) through cellular immune response and the demyelination of CNS white matter (McCance et al., 2014, pp. 630–633). The initial causes of MS are unknown however, it is believed that it could possibly be due to an immune response to an initiating infection or an autoimmune response to CNS antigens on the myelin itself (Brück, 2005) (Miljković and Spasojević, 2013). MS is a result of the degradation of the myelin sheath surrounding neurons and therefore disrupts the transmission of action potentials along these cells. MS can display itself in the form of symptoms ranging from muscle weakness to trouble with sensation and coordination (NHS, 2016). The degradation of myelin leads the body to attempt to remyelinate the neurons, a process that in turn leads to the thickening of the cell by glial cells and this causes lesions to form (Chari, 2007). It is this thickening (sclerae) from which the disease gets its name. Sufferers of MS can either have a relapsing type of MS, in which there are episodes that lead to the worsening of symptoms for a period of time, or a progressive type of MS where symptoms gradually progress and worsen (McCance et al., 2014, pp. 630–633).