Multiple Sclerosis
(1) One third of a million Americans suffer from MS and a great percentage of those people are women. Women account for 73% of MS sufferers. (2) MS usually strikes young adults between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. (8) There are even some cases of MS being diagnosed in childhood.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system, attacking the brain and the spinal cord. MS attacks myelin, the fatty material that acts as a protective coating to the body's nerves. (1) The inflammation of the nerve tissues covering the nerves can affect any part of the nervous system and varies from person to person. (7) Normal nerve function decreases with the onset of MS because MS causes scars to form on
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Therefore, what causes MS? What causes the nerves of the bodies of MS patients to obtain scarring? Why do people get MS? The cause of MS is not known. But is said not to be hereditary. The body's immune system usually defends it from bacteria, but in the case of MS the immune system is attacking the myelin. (1) This attack is adverse to the purpose of the immune system and the cause is attributed to different theories. The one theory is that there is a virus dormant in the body that may be a factor in the development of MS and alters the immune system's responsibility. (1)
Then there is the theory that common diseases or STD's trigger MS and this initiates the migration of white blood cells to enter the brain. Once in the brain these white blood cells activate certain parts of the immune system and thus the immune system begins to attack the myelin that surrounds the nerve. (1) There is another theory that the scarring of the myelin of the nerve is caused by oxidation injury. (3) Oxidation injury is seemingly caused by unstable molecules named free radicals. These free radicals supposedly take electrons from healthy molecules they find in the myelin. These free radicals are also said to occur when the body has been exposed to toxic chemicals. (5) Free radicals are described as punching holes in the cellular walls of our bodies. There is another theory that researchers of MS present. The
Multiple sclerosis (MS) involves an autoimmune process that develops when a previous viral insult to the nervous system has occurred in a genetically susceptible individual. B lymphocytes, plasma cells, and activated T cells, along with proinflammatory cytokines, cause inflammation, oligodendrocyte injury and demyelination. Early inflammation and demyelination lead to irreversible axonal
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease, in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. The disease destroys the myelin, which is the insulation that protects the nerve fibers in the spinal cord, and brain (Niino, 2008). When the myelin is damaged, the message that is traveling along that nerve may be slowed or blocked. Symptoms vary by patient, but often include: numbness or weakness in limbs, partial or complete loss of vision, lack of coordination or unsteady gait, slurred speech, fatigue, dizziness, and problems with bowel and bladder functions.
MS is characterized by the destruction of myelin, inflammation in the CNS and the formation of lesions in the CNS.
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.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. MS affects approximately 3.0 million people globally, with about 300,000 cases in the United States. Twice as many women as men have MS. The average ages for onset of MS is 20-40 years. In MS, cells in the immune system attack and destroy myelin, the fatty tissue surrounding nerve cells (http://www.phylomed.com/MS.html). Scar tissue replaces the myelin, interfering with the transmission of nerve signals and leading to numbness, fatigue, spasticity, loss of muscle control, and various other debilitating symptoms. There are four broad theories
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.
Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that attacks the myelin coating over the nerve receptors in your brain and spinal cord. Myelin is a fatty material that coats and protects the nerves in your brain. These nerves send signals to the rest of your body enabling
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.
“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which your immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers your nerves” (Mayo Clinic). The immune system is a defensive system that protects your body from diseases and illnesses such as parasites and bacteria (Science Museum). Not only does your immune system defend the human body but also the immune system can work against the body, which is known as autoimmune disease. Since the immune system is working against your body to attack the myelin, this creates an opportunity for multiple sclerosis to invade the nerves in the central nervous system (CNS). The myelin within the body acts like insulation to protect and coat the nervous system (National Multiple Sclerosis Society). Once the myelin is eroded, the nerves become exposed which then causes signals to and from the brain to become distorted or irrupted causing a wide range of symptoms to occur (National Multiple Sclerosis Society). The effect of the myelin eroding is an irreversible process (Mayo Clinic). “The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which
Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological disease that affects the central nervous system. The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord. Myelin sheath, an insulation that covers the nerve fibers, is damaged resulting in multiple patches of scarred tissue called lesions. When the Melin sheath is destroyed, damage to the axon begins and causes a wide variety of symptoms. Axons are the fibers that carry electric impulses away from the nerve cell to different parts of the body. MS eventually causes permanent disability. Depending on the extent of the myelin damaged and the location damaged, determines the severity of the symptoms.
Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder which is characterized by multiple areas of scarring to nerve fibers of the CNS. It often affects people between 20 to 40 years. Currently there are about 1.1 million people suffering from multiple sclerosis. Like most of the autoimmune diseases females are more affected than males in this disease. Multiple Sclerosis effects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). The disease commences with a discrete attack known as CIS (clinically isolated syndrome), which may attack any area of the CNS but mostly attacks either the brain stem, optic nerve or spinal cord.
Multiple Sclerosis, also known as “MS” is a chronic condition where the immune system begins to destroy the myelin sheath that covers the nerves in the body and affects the brain and spinal cord (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). The myelin sheath is used for protection of the nerves in which these nerves aid to transport nerve impulses all over the body (Ruto, 2013). Once the body’s immune system attacks the myelin sheath, it begins to disintegrate which affects the conductivity of the nerve impulse and impedes the message transmission from the brain to the rest of the body (Ruto, 2013). In turn, the impulses are changed which results in problems in the muscle such as weakness, imbalance and spasms and the body could end up
Multiple Sclerosis is a nervous system disease that disturbs the brain and spinal cord (Rolak,2005). Initially affects the myelin sheath, the material that covers and protects your nerve cells. Multiple Sclerosis causes demyelination (Rolak,2005). The nerve damage is caused by inflammation (Rolak,2005). Inflammation occurs when the body’s own immune cells attack the nervous system (Rolak,2005). This can happen in any area of the brain, optic nerve, or spinal cord (Rolak,2005). It is unknown what exactly causes Multiple Sclerosis (Rolak,2005). It is considered to be a virus and environmental factors may also play a role (Rolak,2005). A person’s immune cells begins to attack the central nervous system and degenerate (Rolak,2005).
Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. In multiple sclerosis, the immune system of the body attacks the myelin sheath. Myelin is a fatty substance rich in proteins that surrounds, insulates, and protects the nerve as well as helps to speed up nerve transmissions. Neurons are the basic working part of the brain that transmit messages to other nerves in the body. Every neuron in the central nervous system has a cell body and an axon. An axon is the extension of the cell body that carries messages and it is here that myelin plays its role. Myelin is wrapped around the axon for protection and allows for electrical impulses to be transmitted quickly and efficiently. When the body attacks its own tissues and causes a breakdown in the myelin layer, the nerve impulses that are travelling to and from the brain are altered. Impulses are slowed down, distorted from their original manner, or sometimes interrupted entirely. Over time, multiple sclerosis can cause deterioration of the nerve itself. Multiple sclerosis, often referred to as MS, is called “multiple” for the many areas of the brain that are affected and “sclerosis” for the scarring of tissue and lesions that form on the brain and spinal cord.
Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, is a disease where the immune system attacks the myelin sheath surrounding axons of neurons in the Central Nervous System (CNS).