Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease that affects roughly 400,000 people in the United States (Hunter, 2016) but isn’t very well understood on a cellular level quite yet. There is somewhat of a stigma surrounding the disease as well, as if it is a ticket to life in a wheelchair or an early grave. On the contrary, symptoms and progression vary greatly among individuals and even at different stages for each patient. This paper aims to provide a brief overview of MS, what about it is currently understood, and methods of treatment. Disease MS is a neurological disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS), consisting of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms present differently in each individual and may be temporary or constant. Often they begin as temporary but evolve to be constant. Experienced symptoms may include numbness, tingling, trouble with cognitive memory, mood swings, fatigue, pain, blindness, and even paralysis in some cases (National MS Society). MS affects about 2.5 million individuals worldwide, although cases vary greatly by geographic region and there are both genetic and environmental factors that influence expression (Hunter, 2016). Most cases are observed north and south of the equator with northern European Caucasian phenotypes most affected. However, the epidemiology has changed within the last two decades with higher incidences overall, probably due to longer life expectancy worldwide (Hunter, 2016). The disease
Multiple sclerosis, also known as MS, is one of humankind’s most mysterious diseases. No one knows the exact cause and there is no exact treatment. Still multiple sclerosis has the ability to affect nearly 3 million people worldwide and at least 500,000 people in the United States (Boroch). This disease tends to be more common in individuals of northern European descent and women are more than twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis as men. Of those 3 million people, most of them are between the ages of 20 and 50 years old (Dangond). Even though multiple sclerosis is a mystery disease, scientists are working to determine the exact cause and treatment.
This report will discuss what multiple sclerosis is, symptoms, how it is treated, and much more.
Multiple Sclerosis known as MS is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord this disease, unfortunately has no cure, and would cause a person’s life to progress to become more and more difficult each day. They begin to lose the ability to control their body movements and make it seem almost impossible to carry out simple, everyday function (Nordqvist, 2012). Patient’s that battle diseases such as this will no longer have the will to live because they know that there health will not get any better and they will soon die a
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).
It is suggested by previous studies that the damage of the myelin sheath in MS involves the activation of inflammatory factors including the CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells, macrophages and microglia cells (Luccinetti et al., 1996; Lassmannet al., 2012). However, whether the immune response triggers the onset of MS, or is a consequence of the disease process is currently not clear. Interestingly, several recent studies suggested that the prevalence rate of MS is significantly increased with latitude, which implies that not only the geographical (environmental) differences but racial and ethnic differences may play a role in the worldwide MS distribution (Rosati, 2001; Simpson et al., 2011).
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, progressive neurological disease affecting all aspects of life: physical, cognitive, emotional, and social (Abma). It is known as an autoimmune disease, Where the body’s immune system turns against the body and destroys the protective covering that surrounds nerve cells. This damage to the nerve cells causes many problems for the patient including weakness, muscle stiffness, poor coordination and balance, tingling, numbness, tremors, blurred vision, slurred speech, and memory and concentration problems (Bren)
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, 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.
Even though MS effects every individual differently and can run its course in a strikingly different manner than that of another, four basic disease courses have been
Multiple Sclerosis is an inflammatory demyelinating neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system that has the potential to cause significant disability in those affected through the body's immune system attacking and destroying the myelin sheaths surrounding the axons. Myelin is rich in lipids and proteins that form layers around the nerve fibers and acts as insulation and protection. This damage to the myelin in the CNS, and to the actual nerve fibers, has the potential to block the transmission of nerve signals between the brain and spinal cord and also other parts of the body. This disruption of the nerve signals produces the primary symptoms of MS which then possibly lead to secondary and tertiary symptoms stemming from these
Multiple Sclerosis is a degenerative disease that effects the Central Nervous System. Approximately 400,000 individuals are living with Multiple Sclerosis in the United States, and 2.5 million worldwide. There are an estimated 10,000 new cases annually, in the United States alone. Various factors including geography, gender, and race are significant risk factors in developing the disease. Diagnosis at early onset of symptoms is beneficial to the treatment of progression and there are numerous medications used to combat the frequency and duration of relapse symptoms caused by Multiple
Multiple sclerosis, also known as MS, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that is very painful for both the patient and care giver. In the disease, there is inflammation and neurodegeneration acting at the same time. There is currently no known primary cause of multiple sclerosis. The disease is however characterized by damaged fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and the spinal cord. Myelin is a mixture of proteins and phospholipids that protects many nerve fibers enabling speed at which impulses are conducted. It is pathologically characterized as the presence of glial scars all over in the central nervous system. The disease was discovered by the French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot in 1868 when he examined the brain
The specific symptom for a Multiple Sclerosis patient cannot be mentioned as different people has their very own symptoms. Multiple Sclerosis patient can seem to be all healthy because the symptoms will only attacking for a certain period of time but can worsen over the time. The common symptoms are fatigue, depression, double vision, numbness and loss of coordination.
The new discoveries, quality improvements, and evidence-based care that has changed the course of multiple sclerosis diagnosis, treatment, and care since Jean Martin Charcot and Florence Nightingale’s time is encouraging and exciting for those that live with the disease. New technologies and critical milestones abound. For example, in 1981 the first MRI pictures of a brain affected by MS was produced ("Research News and Progress," 2016). Also, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been instrumental in allowing more precise diagnosis and important biomarkers for determining the effect of treatments from clinical trials (Koutsouraki & Michmizos, 2014). These remarkable advances in
It is likely that the current sequential monotherapy or treatment failure schema will eventually give way to personalized approaches, guided by valid predictive biomarkers and pharmacogenomics. Available DMTs provide both immediate options and hope for people suffering from MS, but many unmet needs remain. Two of the greatest are lack of therapies that convincingly slow or halt progressive forms of the disease and absence of treatments that could repair or regenerate neurons, oligodendrocytes, and supporting glia. Different therapeutic strategies are available for treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) including immunosuppressants, immunomodulators, and monoclonal antibodies. Their relative effectiveness in the prevention of relapse or disability